Nothing like you
by Navalia
Summary: An unusual meeting in a car park allowed Bella and Edward to fall into an easy friendship, then a relationship. They were happy, but the problem with happy was that Bella didn't trust it and kept waiting for something to go wrong
1. Chapter 1

**AN: For anyone who's going to be reading this story, I have to inform you that there are a few mistakes a long the way. I have no beta, I have no proof readers. I do it all myself. And my most obvious and silly mistakes are the fact that occasionally Bella and Edward refer to each other as Elizabeth/Liz and Anthony. Now this is NOT intentional. What happened was that I wrote an entirely different story and when I was done I decided to adapt it for a Twilight fan fiction. So the following is what I came up with. I will eventually go back and edit each and every chapter again, but don't currently have the time. So just ignore those silly errors and keep reading. I love you for it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Twilight related but soon I'll buy the double disk dvd for Breaking Dawn Part 1**

CHAPTER ONE

Bella and Alice exited the quaint coffee shop off third street. They had just spent two hours talking about nothing and everything when time caught up with them. Alice had an appointment with the gynaecologist and had to be there before the day was over. She waddled uncomfortably down the sidewalk towards her car, with Bella in tow, carrying all her shopping bags. It was great seeing her friend again after so many weeks, but being six months pregnant, married and moving house, really was not that lenient on the amount of time Alice had for herself. She would have loved to spend more time with Bella, but that would have to wait for another day.

They carefully walked over the road to Alice's green Chico, where Bella placed all the new baby goodies in the backseat. As she watched Alice squeeze her pregnant self in the drivers seat she wondered where someone so little and so pregnant got that amount of energy from. She also wondered why Alice held onto this awful green rusted Chico of hers when she had a husband that could so obviously afford to give her something so much better. Not to mention something a little more secure and safer. But this slip of a girl held onto her independence so tightly, you almost forgot that she's married to that hunk of a husband, Jasper Whitlock. Bella considered Alice lucky.

With an amused smile on her face, Bella waved a gentle goodbye to her friend as she watched the green piece of metal disappear around the bend. She slowly made her way towards her own white Polo. Now _that _was her baby. She's only had it a few weeks and was very proud of her new wheels. She never intended buying a second car, but her rusted red truck has finally given in after many years. She had the truck since she was seventeen when she moved in with her dad in her senior year, but she knew it was time to get something else. It was difficult to put the loud rumbling truck to rest; the memories tightly linked to that of her father and her late teen years. But the truck was dead and her feet certainly was not getting her from A to B. Her new car was a little pricier than she initially planned on buying, but it was worth every cent! Her smile widened as she watched the glare of the mid day sun bounce off the headlight of the newly washed car. It gave her pleasure knowing that the beauty belonged to her. The Polo wasn't flashy or fancy in any shape or form, but it was hers and suited her just as much at the rusty truck did.

As she got closer, she noticed a movement out of the corner of her left eye. It was a black Sedan reversing in the direction of her baby. _He better not get too close to my baby,_ she thought as she kept walking at an unhurried pace while still watching the moving car. She noticed the car was moving much faster than it's supposed to and knew immediately that it was going to her hit car! Her slow pace changed to a frantic jog towards the moving car. As she got closer she noticed the driver was not a man as she anticipated but a woman instead. A woman who happened to be fast asleep in the drivers seat!

"Hey! Wake up!" She banged her fists on the window trying to wake the woman, but got no answer. Her fingers clutched at the door handle, but found it locked! They were getting closer and closer to her car and with that she slowed down knowing she could do nothing to stop it. The damage was done. She watched in slow motion as the rear end of the Sedan collided with her baby. There would be expensive damage done to her car though and maybe to that of the Sedan. At the last second before the impact, she quickly shut her eyes and waited for that dreadful sound of metal colliding.

After a few split seconds of motionlessness from Bella's side, she leapt into action and ran towards the car again. She found the woman opening the door and groggily getting out.

"Are you okay?" she said helping the woman out. She took a good look at her for the first time. _Kind of scruffy looking _she thought. She quickly shook her head at judging someone so quickly, but then again one couldn't help noticing the girl that she really was. Her hair probably hadn't seen a brush for days. Her clothes, although too big and haphazardly thrown together, were of good quality. The girl was trying to be invisible and unassuming; reminding Bella very much of herself a mere ten years ago. As a teenager, she hated being the centre of attention and tried everything to be ignored. Of course in a small town like Forks, Washington, that approach didn't quite go as planned. Being a new student in a small town where absolutely nothing ever happened, well, that made Bella's arrival the biggest news in years. She hated it and shied away from the attention and it wasn't long before people just left her alone. Unfortunately that also left her with very few friends.

Bella grimaced at her own thoughts. This was not the place or time to think about her old self.

"What the hell just happened?" the girl asked her.

"I think you fell asleep at the wheel"_, _Bella answered. _"_The car rolled back and hit mine. Do you have insurance?"For some strange reason unbeknownst to Bella, the girl was looking at her as if she'd grown another eye or something.

"Insurance?" she repeated. "You know.. So I can claim the damage done to my car?"

Bella was wondering how this was going to go down. She wondered if the girl might have hit her head? She really wasn't being very responsive in the _normal _ sense of the word. She watched as the girl pulled herself together, straightening her back to her full height. Well all five feet of her. She seems to be okay. She wasn't a doctor but from what she could tell the girl was just fine.

She squinted, eyeing the child. She couldn't be more than sixteen, maybe seventeen years old. Bella waited for her to say something. The girl wasn't uttering a word. Not one bloody word. Bella took the silence as her cue to inspect her own car. As she rounded the rear of the Sedan, she held her breath and closed her eyes just for a second. She wasn't sure if she was ready to see the damage yet. _Come on Bella, _ she thought, _ It can__'__t be that bad. Closing your eyes won__'__t make the damage disappear._

She moved forward, fluttering her one eye open as if to lean into the problem rather than be hit with it. _Nope! _She thought with a mental, audible pop. Opening one eye at a time definitely did not soften the blow. Her car's face was ruined. The right headlight totally smashed to shards and the front bumper simply hanging by a thread. Amazingly the Sedan hardly suffered any damage. Just a dent and a few scratches. How that was even possible she didn't know.

She slowly turned back to the girl, who had in the meantime simply popped her rear on the hood of the Sedan. Bella looked her over again and had the idea that this slip of a girl was not the cooperating type.

"Is this your car?"

Bella waited for an answer, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She wasn't too sure how to deal with teenagers, especially ones she was not familiar with. She watched the girl cross and uncross her legs several times before she spoke.

"It's my brother's" , the girl grumbled while chewing on a chap stick. She popped an offensive bubble with a loud pop.

Bella was not liking this at all.

"Look,"she said. "I need to speak to your brother about claiming from his insurance. Get this over and done with in a civilized way. That way we don't need to involve the cops."She hoped mentioning the cops would make the girl more alert and a little more polite. The thought of cops always kept Bella on the straight and narrow as a teen, of course back then her own dad was the Chief of Police, so she had no choice but to be well behaved at all times. Charlie, her dad, could see right through her, so she never took any chances.

She glanced at her wrist watch and the time glared back at her. She really didn't have time for this. She still had a lot of work to do at home.

She saw the girls eyes widen. The git jumped off the car hands in the air!

"Hold your horses!" the girl almost screamed at her, finally paying attention.

"There's like no need to call the cops!"the girl complied. _"_Mybrother is just inside talking to someone." She pointed right at the coffee shop Bella had been in just moments ago. "There's like no need to get your knickers in a twist."

Bella was just about to give the kid a good tongue lashing when she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

That's when she heard it. The most beautiful voice she's ever heard, like velvet on her skin.

"Oh man! What did she do to your car?" The deep velvet voice enveloped Bella. She slowly turned around so that she could see the man the lustrous voice belonged to. Her eyes collided with a pair of bright forest green eyes. Their emerald depths so mesmerising she almost forgot herself. Her eyes travelled down to his moving lips. He must be saying something, but she wasn't quite listening. She took a quick breath and concentrated on what he was saying.

"Bree! What have you done?" Bree. That must be the girl.

"Your sister seems to have fallen asleep behind the wheel of your car." she answered for the girl.

"What?" he bellowed.

"You know you're not allowed behind the wheel Bree! What were you thinking? And sleeping? Come on, can't I take you anywhere these days?"

His tirade went on and on, completely letting his sister have it. She almost felt sorry for the girl. Almost.

She watched him while his attention was elsewhere. He really was a good looking man. She'd guess his age to be around his early thirties, maybe thirty-two or so. He was tall, maybe six foot two or three. Broad shoulders. Toned abs from what she could see through the powder blue collared shirt he was wearing. He definitely seemed like the kind of guy that worked out. His hair was the most unusual thing about him, and odd shade of brown and red. Bronze, she decided the colour was. She could definitely imagine running her fingers through that.

Bella shifted slightly as he inspected the car while still having a one sided conversation with his sister. She took the moment to admire his face as well. He had strong angular features. Each feature on it's own, might not be perfect, but together they made an awfully handsome face. She could almost imagine putting out her hand and caressing that chiselled jaw line of his. _Mercy! _she thought, _I'm ogling a man in broad daylight! Pull yourself together girl!_

Edward knew the woman was watching him. He could see her analyzing every part of him while he was giving Bree a good talking too. It was hard to concentrate on the task at hand , when he really only wanted to know what her name was.

He'd noticed her immediately when he left the coffee shop or rather he noticed how well the bottoms of her tan pant suit fitted her derrière. It was only when he looked further upwards, that he noticed she was talking to Bree, who as usual was chewing that god awful gum. He was just about the peruse other parts of the woman's body when the rear end of his old Sedan caught his attention. _Oh God! _he thought. _What the hell had Bree done now?_

For a second he felt guilty that he immediately blamed his sister for the situation, but shrugged the guilt off when he remembered his sister's behaviour in the past few months. She really was cutting it close with him where his patience was concerned. God forgive him, but he really wished his parents hadn't decided to take that second honeymoon of theirs. He knew they were owed a well deserved holiday, but their absence left his kid sister in his care.

As the baby of the family, she was a good fourteen years younger than him. The massive age gap really put her in another generation and Edward had forgotten what it was like being so emotionally charged and angry at the world all the time. He loved the kid, but it was so darn tiring being around her.

When he'd hurried towards his car and asked what had happened, the woman talking to Bree had been quiet. He wondered if she'd even heard him, but she turned around and he could hear a barely audible gasp escape her lips when their eyes met. He was sure she felt it too. She had to. You could not ignore that kind of chemistry. He'd been momentarily dumbstruck and simply stared into her eyes. Even with the prim conservative black rimmed glasses she wore, he could see right into her. The soft brown orbs immediately held his undivided attention. He noticed those long black lashes flutter in slight confusion. Her mouth moved, but nothing came out. For a second he wondered if she was _all right up there. _

But then she did talk and said that Bree had fallen asleep behind the wheel. He would have loved to linger and hear her speak some more. Her voice was soft and sweetly musical, but he could not get past the fact that Bree has once again done something stupid.

While giving Bree one of his _learn-to-be-responsible-speeches, _he gave both cars a general inspection. He wasn't too worried about his own. It was an old car he kept around while his regular car was in for it's service. Good thing he kept up the insurance on the Sedan. He looked at the face of the white Polo, obviously belonging to the suit clad woman on his left. He could tell the car was fairly new. At least a few months old. He'd be pissed if he were her. She probably was pissed and just not showing it. Man, the excess fee on her car was going to make and unexpected hole in his pocket. Not that he couldn't afford it, but he'd prefer that he didn't have to end up in situations like this.

_Just two more weeks. Just two more measly weeks. _Then life could go back to normal. His parents would return and they could deal with Bree's erratic and dysfunctional behaviour. He swore the kid misbehaved just to see how far she could push him.

A movement on his left caught his attention. It was the lady in the tan suit shifting her weight. She must probably be in a hurry to get this over and done with. She looked like someone that had important things to do, that was always busy with one thing or the other. For a moment he wondered if she'd have time to get to know him. He certainly thought he wanted to get to know her. She did seems like the type of woman he'd really get along with. He eyed her a little longer, hoping that she didn't notice too much. He liked what he saw. She really wasn't what he was usually attracted to. Definitely not thin and tall and overly confident. In fact she was kind of average, almost short with slight curves. She soft and bordered on sensual. Somehow he knew she didn't see that side of herself. Something about her was very inviting. Something soft and sincere. When they'd briefly made eye contact before, he saw more than he expected to see. He felt like he knew her and what he didn't know, he was going to find out. Something in those chocolate depths made him feel slightly protective over her. Though it was a different kind of protectiveness he would feel for his bratty sister, he knew he liked this woman.

He straightened up, deciding to introduce himself formally and extended his hand.

"Hi, I'm Edward Cullen" _, _ he said holding out his hand and taking her small hand in his.

He immediately felt that same spark when he had first made eye contact. There was definitely something going on here. He waited for her name.

"Isabella.. Bella Swan" she answered. "Glad to meet you. I think. Not really the best circumstances for new introductions, is it?" she said with a small smile.

"No, not exactly." he replied. "I really have to apologise for my sister's behaviour. I assure you this kind of thing doesn't happen everyday. I'll take full responsibility for having your car repaired. I can't say how sorry I really am."

Bella listened to his apology. Even before he was done speaking she knew she couldn't possibly hold the situation against him. She wondered why he was letting his kid sister tag along with him. No sixteen year old wants to be dragged everywhere by an older relative with nothing to do. Boredom was bound to sink in and trouble was unavoidable.

She looked down at their hands still bound in a handshake. Neither was letting go. Her palms were all tingly and hot. She felt like a giddy school girl. She couldn't stop smiling and was sure her face was alight with an embarrassing blush. She tried to break eye contact and tugged her hand gently from him; without seeming like she wanted to run; before she made a fool of herself and blushed herself to death or something. The situation was starting to become really interesting.

Edward felt a small sense of loss when he felt Bella pull her hand from his. _Bella, _he thought. It figures she'd have a beautiful name. It suited her. He couldn't take his eyes off her and would have kept staring if it wasn't for Bree mumbling under her breath for him to get done. _Annoying brat _ he thought. He reached into his jacket pocket and produced a small packet of business cards he always kept with him. He pulled one from the packet and proceeded to write his insurance details on the back and held it out to her. As she took it form him he really wished she'd take the opportunity to call him on a more personal level or provide a similar card so that he could at least initiate something a little more relaxed and informal; than insurance details. The initial spark between them was just too interesting to not want to take it further.

He silently watched her as she took the card from him, placing it inside her purse and at the same time producing just what he'd been wishing for. He looked down at her card and the words _GRAPHIC DESIGNER _caught his attention. He liked that. Being a creative made for interesting personalities. He wondered if she was any good.

"Please call me if anything is unclear." he said. "I really do apologise again. I can assure you that I'll give Bree here the right sort of punishment for this."

"No. no it's okay. Thank you for taking this so well. I'm sure it'll all be sorted in no time." Bella really did not want to leave yet, but she needed to call for a tow truck soon. She really did want to talk to him some more. Maybe time would tell if they were really meant to meet again. She could only wait and see.

"Like I said, call me if you need _anything_." he said again. Did she imagine it or was there some kind of emphasis on the 'anything'? She smiled. She could only hope.

She watched him turn away from her and jerkily grab his sister by the arm and shove her into the passenger seat. Seams the brat was going to get it again. _Wonder what privileges the kid was going to lose out on? _

She watched his car leave and wondered if she'd ever see him again.


	2. Chapter 2

**So I totally forgot to ad any sort of a/n last time. This would be my first time writing fan fiction.. well kinda. it's actually a story i wrote just for the heck of it, one of those new years resolution things. And I actually succeeded. I wrote a story but didn't know what to do with it. I then realised, me being a fan of Twilight and with that all forms of fan fiction regarding the Twilight Saga, i decided that i would convert the story so that it was all about my favourite subject.. TWILIGHT!**

**What's also interesting was that like the great SM, I too had a dream and the next day while telling my buddies at work about it, i joked that i could actually make a full book of it and that's how it began... If SM could write by having a dream, why couldn't I? So take note, this story lies very close to my heart, so when you review... and please DO review, be kind. Im an artist and i take all criticism personally.**

**ALSO... I unfortunately do not have a beta.. this is all still new to me... So forgive any spelling errors or grammatical errors. I'm trying my best.**

**Oh! and I forgot the disclaimer last time. So anything Twilight related, that's all SM. Unless you count the books, soundtracks and posters i paid for at the shop. I got the till slip to prove it.**

CHAPTER TWO

It was days later that Bella was sitting at her home office trying to get some work done. _Trying _being the operative word. For the past two days it seemed she got nothing right; making silly mistakes. It was very unlike her thorough and meticulous nature. She knew she did not need to ask herself what was wrong. She knew that answer without asking _that _particular question. It was staring her in the face like a bright neon sign on a dark highway.

The white business card lying face down next to her phone.

She'd been trying to ignore it, but it seemed to be determined to keep catching her attention. Every time she used the phone, it was watching her. Each time she thought about her car, she thought about _that_ card and the name printed on it.

_Edward Cullen _she thought, _get out of my head!_

But the little mental warning just wasn't taking hold.

The longer she stared at the card, the harder it became to resist picking it up. And she did. Turning it over and seeing his name right in front of her immediately took her back to that afternoon. _God, the man was gorgeous! _ And gorgeous was out of her league or at least that's what Bella had convinced herself of. She was not used to men looking at her like they might actually _want _her.

She placed the card back on its original spot and proceeded to get back to work, but as her hands hovered over the keyboard, she knew she wasn't going to get anything done tonight. She got up, stretching her stiff limbs and picked up the card again. As she walked over to the couch with the card in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other; she almost contemplated calling him, but knew that sadly she had no reason to. She lowered herself onto her cream sofa, tucking her bare feet under her and snuggled into the corner of the couch.

Bella wondered what she would say if she actually had the guts to call him. With her car sorted and her insurance dealing with his, she really had no good excuse to give him a call. And did she really want to be the one making the first move? Especially considering she had no idea whether her call would be welcome at all. _What if he didn't even remember her? _She was pretty sure she he didn't.

Ever since the car park debacle she couldn't stop thinking about him. Bella didn't believe that a man like Edward Cullen could want someone as mousy and uninteresting as herself. Men like Edward Cullen wanted thin, tall, model-type looking women on their sides. Definitely not average and slightly plump, tom-boyish kind of women. Bella believed that woman like herself made better friends. She learnt early on that when you realised guys didn't notice you _like that, _then you simply became one of the guys. The best friend with girl parts. But that didn't mean Bella didn't enjoy being a woman either. She could enjoy the occasional manicure, pedicure and even the odd facial thrown in there, but what made her most comfortable was that she knew how to be herself and that meant she didn't have to freak out when she broke a nail or when she ran out of her favourite lipstick. That was more of an Alice-type reaction. Alice was the epitome of woman. Alice had been the one to help Bella build her own sense of style. Gone with torn jeans and big t-shirts, but never forgotten. Bella could also now easily walk in those death traps called heels, but she didn't need to do it everyday. Heels had their purpose in her life and lucky for her they weren't need all the time. She was a tomboy at heart, but when the occasion called for it, Bella cleaned up well.

On the other side of town, on the north end of Port Angeles, Edward was sitting in his dark, leather chair with Bella's business card between his fingers. He'd been toying with that card for days now and it was starting to look just a little worn. The urge to call her had been strong. He's never had trouble before, in fact it's been known that it takes very little effort for him to get acquainted with the opposite sex. So the nerves he felt whenever he thought about calling _this _particular woman, was very unfamiliar to him. Maybe it was because _she _was very unfamiliar to the type of woman he usually dated. She was a dainty little thing with barely noticeable curves. She carried herself with a different kind of confidence. All the women he had dated before had been confident, but their confidence stemmed from the fact that they knew they were beautiful and knew how to use it. Bella's confidence came from somewhere inside. He didn't know her, but he could tell right off the bat that this was a woman who knew exactly who she was and she was quite comfortable being just that. Herself.

Edward knew he wanted to get to know her.

Still playing with the card between his fingers, he knew that if he called her, he really couldn't use the insurance as an excuse, but there was no harm in just asking how the arrangements were coming about? If he didn't call now, he probably never would. He needed to get this woman out of his system or into his life and no time was better than the present. He fished his mobile phone from his pocket and quickly punched in her number. Taking a deep breath, he pressed the call button and held the phone to his ear.

Was it his imagination or were his hands a little clammy? He almost laughed out loud at the absurdity of it all. He ran his free hand through his bronze mop as he waited for the dial tone to cease ringing. The smile on his lips waned just a little as he thought she might not answer.

Then he heard it, her sweet voice.

"Bella Swan, Good day", her pleasant voice came from the other side.

"Hi miss Swan, uh.. Bella, it's Edward Cullen." He almost stuttered. "Uhm.. The guy who's car hit yours?" For a moment he thought she might not remember. She was just too quiet. But then she spoke again and he could hear the smile in her voice.

"Yes.. Yes.. I remember. How are you?"

"Me? Well I'm fine. I was actually calling to see how you were and if you got your car sorted out?" he replied. "I hope that you didn't have any problems dealing with my insurance?" He knew perfectly well how it went. His insurance broker kept him well informed.

"No, everything went well. They towed the car and the assessor calculated the damage yesterday." she said. "Probably just another 2 weeks and I'll have her back."

"Her?" he asked with a smile.

"Yeah, aren't all cars females?" He had to smile as he heard the giggle in her voice.

"Yes, I suppose they are," he laughed. "Anyway Bella, so I wondered if you were free tonight?"

_Best to get it out there from the word go _he thought. She was quiet for a bit. Either she didn't hear him or she was trying to think of a reason to say she was otherwise occupied. He unconsciously crossed his fingers on his free hand.

"No," she said. His hopeful mood instantly dropped to his feet. "I mean, NO, I'm not busy tonight." There was a slight catch in her voice and it made him realise that maybe, just maybe he actually had a chance.

"Uhm… I was wonder…" he battled to say the words out loud. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I was hoping you'd say yes to a cup of coffee or something? You know, as uh… new friends?"

He rambled the last few words off. He didn't want to be just friends, but heck, he couldn't push the girl too far too soon. He held his breath waiting for answer.

"That," she said with a pause, "would be lovely."

Edward mentally punched the air and asked her where she'd like to meet.

"How about we meet at the scene of the crime?"she laughed.

"The what?" His brow furrowed in confusion.

Her laughter bubbled over. "I mean how about we meet at the coffee shop where we met so unexpectedly?" she explained.

He answered her with a burst of laughter of his own. "That's perfect," he agreed. "What time shall I get you there?"

"Uhm.. Six good?"

He glanced at his watch and saw that it ware barely an hour away. The coffee shop wasn't too far but he was mostly sure that women took longer than forty-five minutes to and hour to get ready. Apparently this woman didn't need all the extra time. _Hmm.. I could learn to appreciate that, _he thought.

"Okay, six it is," he said. "Oh wait, do you need me to pick you up? I didn't even ask if you needed a ride!"

"No, it's fine." she replied. "I've got a loan car for now. I'll see you there."

He bid her a cheerful goodbye before ending the call. Placing the phone on the counter, he decided to take a quick shower before he headed out. The coffee shop was just a few blocks away, so it shouldn't take him too long to get there in time.

Edward had a small bounce in his step as he made his way to the shower. He wondered how the evening would turn out.

Bella looked at the phone in her hand. She couldn't believe that she had just made a date with him. It completely blew here mind. What were the chances that just as she was thinking about him, he actually rang her of all people?When she heard his voice over the phone, she had to shake her head a little just to make the fog go away. She had to be sure it was actually him, and when he said his name, it took everything in her not to stutter and make a food of herself.

When he asked her if she was free tonight, she nearly chocked on her response. Her head was screaming at her that she had no plans, but her mouth however had other ideas. Somehow instead of saying she was free, her first word was no. After a moment she realised that he might think she's not free so she quickly recovered and told him that she had nothing planned. But she quickly rectified her mistake before he thought she was rejecting him. That's when he asked if she wanted to meet for coffee. There wasn't a chance in hell that she was going to say no. She heaved a heavy sigh and mentally told herself that that it wasn't everyday that a man asked her on a date. She couldn't let this pass.

She quickly sent a text to Alice. The woman would kill her if she didn't tell her about this.

_Have date in an hour with the hunk from the car park! Pray that I don't embarrass myself by tripping over my own two feet! Will tell you everything later when I get back. _

_Love_

_Bella_

There, that should tickle Alice's toes until she got back after _the _coffee date. Getting up from the couch she headed to the kitchen to put her mug in the dishwasher. On her way back towards the bedroom, she heard her mobile buzz on the coffee table where she'd left it only moments before. _Alice doesn't waste time _she thought as she picket up the phone yet again. She had to laugh out loud when she read the message:

_You do not.. I repeat DO NOT go home after said date. Come straight here! I'll be waiting. Don't disappoint me… pretty please!_

Bella knew she couldn't deny Alice the precious girl-time. She just hoped she had something good to tell her when the _date _was over. With a nervous smile on her lips she started getting ready.

**So that was chapter two.**

**Be nice and review. Please?**


	3. Chapter 3

**So this is the 3****rd**** chapter coming up and I still don't have any reviews. I know… I know.. It's early days yet. Just have to hang in there, right?**

**Anyway, how's my week been? It's been good. I have nothing to complain about. Went to see transformers, the green lantern, as well as bridesmaids.. Which were all awesome! Think it's a bit much going to the cinema so many times in one week? I don't. I love going to the movies. I try to watch as many as I can before I discover im broke. Thankfully there's this thing called half prices Tuesday and club membership, so even when I'm broke, I can still afford a movie (sans popcorn and coke) on a Tuesday evening**

**What's there to look forward to this coming week? A 4****th**** of July Potluck. At least I think that's what it's called. The whole concept of a 4****th**** of July celebration is very unfamiliar to me, except from what I know from the movies.. So why am I going to one when I'm not even in America? Well one of my good friends has an American Exchange student living with her and seeing that she cant be home with her family, we decided to bring a little of the holiday to her instead. Oh oh and each of us must bring an American dish with. I settled on Deep South Buffalo Wings! Cant go wrong there.**

**I'm talking too much. Lemme shut up.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight related, though I do have till slips for books, posters and the soundtracks.**

CHAPTER THREE

Edward watched her walking towards the coffee shop, her heels clicking softly on the brick path through the front gates. He realised the more he saw of her, the more he wanted her. She was dressed in a simple dark blue jeans with a pair of black heels. She also wore a black fitted shirt with white polka dots and a wide red belt and in her hands she held a little red bag and a black cardigan. Her dark brown hair fell to her shoulders in soft waves, simply parted on the side and held down with a jewelled hairclip. The simplicity of it all really made her striking. He wondered if she knew that.

She stopped for a moment, obviously looking out for him and nervously caught her lips between her teeth. Edward mentally groaned at the images that nervous action caused him. He made his way towards her and when she saw him, the nervous biting disappeared and a beautiful shy smile replaced it.

"You look beautiful" he said. "I'm glad you came."

"Thank you," she smiled shyly at him. He held out his hand for hers and quickly led her to the table he'd reserved earlier on. A quick call to the owner, Marcus Henry, had secured him the table. Being friends with Marcus had its benefits.

"Did you find your way okay here?" he asked as he pulled out a chair for her and draped her cardigan around the back of the chair.

"No problem at all.' She paused taking a look around her. "You know, I've only ever been here during the day and it's always been one of my favourite places to grab lunch at.'

Her eyes took in all the twinkling candle lights floating about the room. As the light reflected through the gauzy organza drapes, it created quite a romantic atmosphere.

"At night it's quite another story isn't it?" she smiled up at him as he took his own seat. "Quite mysterious and intoxicating."

Edward returned her smile with one of his own and said, "I'm not too sure about it being mysterious and intoxicating, but I love the coffee here. Don't tell anyone, but they also have the best honey and almond cookies here."

She laughed. "Why shouldn't I tell anyone about your love for their honey and almond cookies?"

"You know… a man is not supposed to admit that he loves cookies. It might just make me seem a little soft!" he whispered, inches from her face. "It takes me back to when I was a little boy and my mama baked cookies on a Sunday morning and she'd allow me to lick the bowl clean or eat of the extra cookie dough she left behind."

"Well I think it's sweet" she said. "Would it make you feel better if I told you that I like the smell of oil because it reminds me of the time my dad used to tinker in the driveway with cars that would never drive again? I used to get all greased up with my dad. I loved spending time with him, not so much the cars, but my he always knew it was our special time."

"Somehow I can't imagine you get all grease monkey on me." he commented.

"No, I don't really. I know absolutely nothing about cars. Spending time with my dad under the hood of a car, taught me nothing, but it did keep us close,' she replied wistfully.

Edward couldn't help smiling. Bella Swan, he realised was one in a million.

"Are you sure you're from this planet?" he guffawed. "You spent endless hours under the hood of a car, yet you know nothing about cars?"

"Hey! I told you it was more about spending time with my father. The smell just reminds me of that," she said as she laughed with him. "Also, I do enjoy the occasional manicure and facial, but I can't be a typical girl all day long. I'd much rather build sandcastles with my nephew than have some stranger primp and prod my face with stuff I should actually be eating! I'm no tomboy, but I'm not the ultimate feminine girl either. Guess I'm somewhere in the middle."

He could not believe what she was saying. He really found it hard to believe that he'd found a woman so grounded and down to earth. He'd always been around women that loved to be spoiled and pampered and they wouldn't leave the house with a hair out of place. Yet this woman… Well, this woman knew that having fun was much more appreciated than looking your best all the time. Though he doubted she ever had bad days either. Edward couldn't wait to learn more about this intriguing woman. He got so lost in his thoughts, he almost didn't hear her last words.

"…sometimes when you try to be perfect for everyone around you, you forget to be yourself."

Her words rung so true. Edward knew that he couldn't have put it better himself.

"I couldn't have said it better myself," he repeated his thoughts out loud. "Have you always been this sure of yourself? You seem like someone that knows what she wants and knows exactly what she needs too."

Bella glanced down at the menu at the selection of coffees before she decided to answer him. "No one is always that sure," she smiled. "But I've learned and I watch those around me. Of course when I was younger, I was completely insecure. It took years to truly believe in myself and really know what's truly important. Life," she said, "is too short to linger on things that aren't all that important."

Bella stifled a giggle as she caught him smiling at her. "Word vomit!" she mumbled. "I'm so sorry. This seems to have become an evening filled with confessions."

"No, no no.. it's ok" he answered. "I like it. You don't talk too much. It's actually rather refreshing talking to someone who's so open about themselves. Usually it takes a while before you really get to know someone, and not the person they want you to think they are." He paused and smirked just a little. "Now I'm the one babbling."

Bella just smiled at him. "How about we actually have that cup of coffee we actually came here for?"

Edward agreed and quickly called the waiter over. They placed their order and with a wink in Bella's direction, he also made a request for a side of honey and almond cookies. Bella's attempt to not laugh out loud, resulted in a rather unladylike snort. Her eyes widened in embarrassed shock as she slapped her hand over her mouth.

She looked at Anthony to see if he heard, but he seemed rather engrossed in talking to the waiter. Her embarrassment momentarily forgotten, she watched him. It seems he might actually know the waiter. From what she could gather, he too came here often, but unlike her, he seemed to be on a first name basis with the waiter. He does seem like the type to get along with everyone. He also seemed like the kind of guy that even when he didn't like someone, he found a reason to stick around and find a reason to like them.

Very unlike her in fact. She usually knew from the very first moment if she liked someone or not. And she definitely liked him. She felt very comfortable. _Too comfortable _ she thought as she remembered her earlier snort. Her face flushed with a slight blush and deepened when she caught him watching her as well. He was looking at her so intently, she didn't know what to do with herself. For a moment she was at a loss for words. She opened her mouth in the attempt to say something but no sound left her lips. Luckily for her the arrival of their coffees saved her. Taking a sip of the hot java, her unease was immediately forgotten when the rich, aromatic liquid curled over her taste buds.

"Hmmm…they always have the best coffee," she hummed between sips.

Edward tried not to stare. She didn't know it, but he had noticed her rather cute snort earlier. He couldn't help but crack a grin when she gasped and slapped her hand over her mouth as if to catch another snort before it came out. For her sake he had pretended that he hadn't noticed at all and rather threw himself into a heated conversation with Mike, the waiter that had come to serve him. Coming here so often, he had befriended most of the staff. He'd come to know Mike really well over the past 6 months as the boy also worked part-time at CULLEN ELECTRONICS as an intern. He could see potential in him and wanted to help the kid as much as he was able. He had just told Mike to meet him around nine the next morning to set up a more permanent position for him that would allow more growth and security.

He then turned his attention back to Bella. He watched her take a small bite of the honey and almond cookie and immediately she reacted the way he thought she would. She closed her eyes and hummed her appreciation for the sweet treat. For a moment he thought she looked almost orgasmic! She slowly munched on the small bite and savoured the delicious taste. He knew she'd like the cookies. Everyone that came here did. Sometimes someone tried to weasel a recipe out of one of the staff, but it never worked. The staff were extremely loyal.

"My goodness," Liz muttered before her next bite. "This is one delicious cookie. No wonder you love them so much!"

'Everyone loves them after the very first bite," he replied. "Marcus and Sophia usually send me a bag a week. They know my weakness. Great method of bribing according to Marcus."

"Marcus?" she asked.

"Uhm…the owners." He swallowed down a generous gulp of coffee. "Close friends of mine for years now. I even had the honour of being the best man at their wedding."

He smiled crookedly. "The friendship does have its perks." he said. "That's how I managed to procure a table for tonight."

"So you made special effort, huh?" she laughed jokingly and set her almost empty cup of coffee down.

"I have to make a good impression on the first date." he replies and realised at the same time he used the word _date._

While Edward silently contemplated his slip of words, Bella was doing the exact same thing. She'd heard his words quite clearly.

"So this is a date?" she asked slowly.

"Yes," he murmured. He cleared his throat and decided to grab the bull by its horns… so to speak. "Yes, it is I suppose."

Bella stared into those green orbs and could feel a warm glow reach her face. She was sure she was flushed with happiness.

"There's no need to beat around the bush," he continued. "I think I'd really like to get to know you better." He watched her face flush and her eyes shine. It made his heart soar that she might just not be completely averse to the idea. "Is that okay with you?"

He held his breath waiting for an answer.

"I don't think I have a problem with that." She was tickled with excitement and reigned in her emotions before she made a fool of herself. "I'd like that very much."

Edward raised his cup. "Let's make a toast," he said. "To unexpected collisions that lead to new friendships and first dates" he toasted. Bella sputtered out a tiny giggle but played along and drank to the rather unusual toast, even if it was coffee and not champagne.

"To the unexpected" she agreed.

Bella and Edward spent the next two hours getting to know more about each others lives. She learned that he came from a family where he always had to prove himself. With his older brother, Emmet, who excelled at school and university and had fast become partner in the law firm he worked at, he felt the need to show his family that he too was a person in his own right an didn't need to be compared to the successes of his brother. He wasn't a doctor or a lawyer as it was the norm in his family, but he was a darn good businessman and his high tech electronics company was proof of that.

Bella saw the same strength and determination she saw in herself. She had never been afraid hard work and knew that it took blood and sweat and integrity to get what you want. It also took a whole lot of humility and pride to earn those things and really understand why you deserved success. She had told him of her own life, how they had never been poor but weren't exactly well off either. She'd worked hard to achieve her good grades, how'd she'd gotten a partial bursary for college and the rest of her tuition had all been covered with student loans.

While other students had their parents to pay for things like textbooks and materials, Bella had to take a part time job over weekday afternoons and weekends just to make ends meet.

They felt comfortable with the other and knew that if things went well there would be more dates to come and wondered exactly when that next date would be.

At that moment, Bella was relaying to Edward exactly what a magnet for embarrassment she'd been as a teenager.

"I'm serious, I wished the earth could have swallowed me whole!" she screeched. "Angela and I had been sneaking around the school to the boys playground area. Remember I told you that the boys and girls were separated during break time? Well, anyway, we'd snuck around hoping to catch a glimpse of this boy called Ben that Angela liked, and had gone down on our knees crawling behind the bleachers when we heard a voice of one of the members of the student body!"

Edward's laughter boomed as he enjoyed her rather embarrassing tale.

"What happened next?" he asked.

"Well, when we looked up from our kneed position, we saw that it happened to be a close friend of Ben's. So we knew our it was over for us, as he would surely tell Ben we'd been sneaking around. Everyone, well everyone _but _Ben, knew that Angela had a huge crush on him."

"Is that what you get up to when you have a crush on someone?" he laughed.

"Ha dee hah" she laughed. "It's what I used to get up to. I have grown up you know. I know myself a little better and the kind of man that I like. There's no more need to sneak around on all fours looking for trouble."

"Sure…" Edward feigned doubt. "So how did it end then? Did he let you go or point you out to his friends?"

"No, it was worse."

Edward raised a questioning brow in response.

"He did tell his friends, including Ben, but not before he wrote out a fine and gave us detention for the afternoon. And every time we saw Ben and his mates, they would mimic our crawl and ashy knees," she told him. "Believe me, it wasn't long before we quickly got over our school girl crushes."

'And where are these _boys _now?'

"I'm not too sure about Ben, but that friend of his, believe it or not, is now a cop!" she laughed. "Rather appropriate isn't it?"

"Well, yes" he smiled. "I suppose it is."

Bella reached out her hand for the last sip of her coffee when she caught site of the time on her watch.

"Look at the time!' she gasped. "I still have to go around to Alice and Jasper's and Alice would kill me if I didn't make it!"

"Guess time flies when you're having fun right?" he asked with that crooked grin she's come to recognise in the past 2 hours. This man was going to kill her with that grin sexy grin of his.

"Yes, I was… _am _ having a good time." She watched him come around to her side to help her up. _A perfect gentleman _she thought.

They called for the bill and settled it on their way out. Edward walked her towards the rented car at a rather slow pace. Neither of them wanted to evening to end just yet.

When they finally stopped next to her car, both were a little slow with words.

"I'll see you again?" he asked hopefully.

"S…s … sure" Bella stuttered. She was distracted by the way he was looking at her. _Is he going to kiss me? _She fumbled for the keys in her purse. Her fingers suddenly felt numb and fat and the keys kept slipping from them. She looked up at him, hoping her face didn't give her nerves away. She didn't want to act like she was expecting a kiss.. In case it didn't happen.

Edward took her hand and Bella nearly dropped her purse with the contact. The instant electricity threw her for a curve. She supposed she could put it down to physical attraction? Maybe a chemical reaction? She liked him, but you can never tell how much until you really get to know someone, but that was definitely some kind of chemistry going on. She couldn't deny that he was one sexy piece of testosterone and he practically made her toes curl just with that crooked grin of his. She nearly did drop down and turn to a puddle when she felt him rub his thumb in a circular motion in the palm of her hand. _Keep your cool Bella. Please, just keep it together. _

She held her breath as she felt him hold her hand just a little tighter and moved closer. For some reason the noise in her head went silent and the fog just closed in on her. Her throat just closed up a little in anticipation. His face was moving dangerously close to hers. She expectantly moistened her lips.

And then it happened. He kissed her…

On her cheek!

She felt her heart drop to the floor and could only stare up at him flabbergasted as he straightened up. He gave her an small smile, almost apologetic.

"Uhm.. I'll call you tomorrow?" he said, asking for permission in a round-about way. She meekly nodded her head and got into the car and flashed him a tiny smile as she drove away from him.

"Drive safe!" she heard him call after her and honked her hooter in response. _It wasn't so bad _she thought. _Even if I did only get a peck on the cheek. _She couldn't wait to talk to Alice. It was just after eight now so there was more than enough time left in the evening to discuss the evening's events with her best friend.

Edward watched Bella drive off and disappear around the bend. He raised his hand and scratched the nape of his neck, a habit he had when he was deep in thought. He knew that she wanted him to kiss her and he was going to, but something stopped him. When she'd moistened her lips, it was nearly the end of him. He'd leant in with the full intention of showing her exactly how attracted her was to her, but at the very last second, he changed his mind and kissed her gently on the cheek instead.

He wasn't completely sure why he'd changed his mind. He did know however that if he kissed her the way he wanted to, that he'd probably be moving much faster than he intended and it wouldn't be anything that would resemble a chaste first date. If things went as well as they did tonight, he knew there would be other dates and another opportunity for that first kiss.

He slowly made his way towards his own car and wondered when exactly he could as her out again. On a real date this time.

Tonight's time with her had proven to him that his instinct about her was exactly right. She was down to earth, warm and really comfortable with herself, which in turn made him comfortable around her. He learned so much about her tonight, but knew there were many facets to a woman's personality. He couldn't wait to discover all of her.

He drove home knowing she would be on his mind until he got to see her again.

**So that's chapter three for you. Do you think he should have just kissed her?**

**Review and let me know.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok firstly I know I haven't updated in forever and I've basically promised myself that I'd do it about once a week. Which should be easy as the story is actually completely done. Every update just happens after I've edited and tried to polish the story…remember I don't have a Beta, so any dumb mistakes are all my own.**

**Secondly, I'm still a little sad that I have yet to receive any reviews, so I was thinking that maybe I was updating at the wrong time? I am running on South African time here and the previous chapters have been updated very late on Sunday evenings. So ya maybe my story is getting missed by everyone?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Twilight related, even though I'd like to.**

**Anyway lets continue…**

CHAPTER FOUR

It's been a good hour since Bella had arrived at Alice's. Her umpteenth cup of coffee was already cooling on the coffee table, complete forgotten as she told Alice about her evening out with Edward. The pregnant woman had hardly given her a moment to breath. She was waiting with a cup of coffee ready at the door for Bella. While they had made their way to the cosy yet luxurious family room, Alice had drilled her with questions about the _date_ and refused to let any question go unanswered.

"All that build up for nothing," Bella sighed. She looked at a speck on the toffee coloured couch she was sitting on and flicked it off with her finger. She turned her eyes back to her best and took another slow breath.

"I swore he was going to kiss me Alice. All the signs were there." She took a swig of her coffee and the cooled liquid made a bitter taste in her mouth. She grimaced and set the cup down on the table.

"Are you sure you didn't imagine it?"

"Of course not!" A small frown played on her forehead as she looked at her friend. Alice was never one too doubt her too much. She was too much of a romantic and believed in love at first sight… that sort of thing. There was no need for her to snap at her like that. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped it you. It's just that I don't get it. Like I said, all the signs were there. I just knew he was going to kiss me and I wanted him to!"

Bella burst out laughing at her last words and found her friend laughing too.

"Oooooo..," Alice crooned childishly. "You must like this guy! You've never admitted that you wanted a guy on the first date!"

She could hardly hold her laughter as she watched Bella's eyes practically bug out of her head!

"I never said I _wanted _him!" Bella screeched.

Alice held her rounded belly as her shoulders shook with amusement. Teasing Bella wasn't something she got away with all the time, but Bella was so distracted by thoughts of Edward that she just wasn't her witty self. By now she would have had a come back that would have put Alice right in her place. She peeked at Bella sideways and the look she got in return only made her laugh harder.

"I never said I wanted him." Bella repeated herself. "I said that I wanted him to kiss me. Those are two completely different things. And stop laughing it me! This is not funny!" The more she tried to give Alice her most stern face, the more she saw the humour in it. She was acting like a child and Alice was right to laugh at her.

"Fine, fine, fine!" Alice sputtered between giggles. "I'll stop. But tell me this… and I want you to be honest okay?" she implored her friend.

Bella gave a slight nod while getting her own chuckle under control. She had a fair idea what Alice was about to ask her.

"In all honesty Bella, do you like this guy?"

Yep, she knew that was coming. She tried to come up with something to tell Alice and with each little white lie she thought of, she realised that she did in fact like Edward. She thought back to the day she first met him and remembered the pull. The kind of pull she'd never felt with any other man. She knew that it was more than instant physical attraction. This was something more.

She eyed the pregnant pixie next to her carefully, still considering denial. But Alice could see right through her and judging by how she was folding her arms and staring her down, the pixie wasn't going to let Bella get away with anything but the truth. She took a deep breath and strung a few words together.

"The truth?" Alice simply nodded. "Well truthfully, I guess I do like him."

She blinked when a screech of glee escaped from Alice. _God the girl was such a romantic! _she thought.

"Hold your horses!" she continued. "I said I like him, not love him. It's not like I'm about to marry the guy or anything." The goofy smile on Alice's face showed no signs of waning.

"Are you going to see him again?" Alice asked her leaning as far forward as her large abdomen would allow her.

"He did say he would call and I doubt he's the kind of guy that says so and wouldn't. It didn't seem like a brush off at all, at least I hope so."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about whether he'd call or not' Alice replied. "From what you've told me about him so far, he's definitely interested. Besides the fact that he called you first and asked you out, kind of gives it away."

"Yes,' Bella mused. "He did call me didn't he? Anyway I shouldn't read too much into this first date business_. _He said he'd call again, so I'll just wait. He really has made quite the impression you know. I know it's only been one date, but I feel so comfortable with him already. And I know this sounds like a total cliché but I do feel like I've known him forever."

Bella glanced Alice's way and realised she was soaking up every single word like it was some kind of sugary sweetness. She couldn't help but laugh a little at her.

"I'd like to get to know him better. And no not like that! Get you mind out of the gutter!" she exclaimed when she saw Alice raise her brow in question.

The pixie's face broke into yet another smile. "Just teasing," she said as she struggled to raise herself to take the dirty dishes to the kitchen.

"No, let me," Bella stopped her. "How's little Alex doing?" She asked referring to Alice's unborn child.

"Oh, _Alexa _is doing just fine." The pixie replied. She was convinced it was a girl whereas her husband , Jasper, and Bella were convinced it was a boy. The couple refused to have the doctor tell them the exact sex of the baby and rather concentrated on a healthy baby. The compromise for now was to decorate and accessorise everything in unisex colours.

"Alex," Bella repeated. "I don't know why you insist on him being a girl. I can just tell it's an Alex and not _Alexa_! You know I've got Jasper with me on this one too."

"Yeah, yeah. As far as I know I'm the one carrying this baby and would be more in tune to my baby's gender." Alice's retort came out rather childishly. Bella saw a quick flash of Alice poking her tongue at her. She hurried off the to immense kitchen where she placed the cups and saucers in the stainless steel dishwasher. She quickly made her way back to the family room where she found Alice cooing over her belly. She couldn't really tell what exact the pixie was saying to her baby, but the words _My little Alexa _ certainly didn't escape her notice.

"You know what?" she said as she dropped herself back onto the couch. "No matter what his or her gender is, she just has to be healthy right?"

"Right," the mom-to-be agreed. "What more could a parent want than a happy, healthy baby?"

"Exactly" Bella confirmed. "Oh and by the way, my baby-sitting services are off the table until _Alex _here is a little more than potty trained."

Alice looked at her, her brow arched in question.

"Come on Alice, you know how squeamish I get around babies!" Bella said as she pulled her face in comic disgust. "I love them when they're clean and smell like baby powder, but as soon as they start spitting out gross liquids that can't even be named, then I've got to give them back to the parents!"

Alice clutched her belly as she laughed out loud. It was typical Bella to make that sort of comment. She was great fun and especially great with kids, but Alice had seen her with her own nephews and by the looks of things she would make a great mother, but Bella's fear of anything related to 'baby-grossness' made her think otherwise. She also thought that the idea of getting used to it once you have your own kids, was a crock of shit. She wasn't buying it one bit.

"Don't worry Bells, I'll let _Alexa _know from the beginning that spitting up on her Aunty is a big no-no" she said with a huge smile. She gently tapped her belly and muttered "Understand Lexi?"

The baby kicked as if in answer to that particular request. She immediately gestured for Bella to move over and place her hand on her belly. As Bella delightedly felt the baby tap against her hand, she quietly wondered whether she'd ever have the chance to have a child. She knew she often pretended that motherhood and a family wasn't for her, but secretly she craved it and longed for the kind of bond only a mother and child could share. She sighed wistfully and covered her feelings of yearning with enthusiastic chatter about baby clothes and colours for the nursery that she was helping decorate.

Bella set down her bag on the kitchen counter as she felt the familiar buzzing of her cell phone vibrating in it. She'd just returned home from a meeting with BLD MARKETING, a company she regularly did work for. The project coming up was a really important one and could set her up financially for many months to come. If she did this right, she wouldn't have the pressure of doing her freelance work for at least 4 or 5 months, which in turn meant having a bit of a holiday. That was definitely something she could work towards.

As she got her cell out of the bag and fumbled with it the keys before she hit the answer key and rushed of a quick "Hello?"

"Hey Liz." It was Edward. He'd called as he promised. She thought it might be a few days at least before she heard from him, but he said he'd call the next day and she guessed he did.

She held her breath, her fingers automatically tightening around the mobile. She already felt a little flushed and the man hadn't said anything more then _Hi._

"Oh, hey! How are you?" She somehow mastered an air of confidence and breezy happiness.

"I'm good" he replied. "I just called to say that I had a great time last night and wondered if you had anything planned for tomorrow evening?"

"Uhm.. No?" _Please let him ask me out again, _she silently begged inside her head and she crossed her fingers on her free hand.

"So… dinner, tomorrow? Seven?" he asked. She could almost hear the hope in his voice. She found it astounding that he was so easy to read.

"I'd love to Edward," she exclaimed, not even bothering to mask her happiness about the invitation.

"Great. Shall I meet you there or should I pick you up? It's at _Poca Bellezza, _that little Italian restaurant on Long Street."

"Oh I've always wanted to go there!" her excitement clearly palpable. "How about I meet you there? I've got a prior appointment, so I'll actually be in the area after that."

" Okay, that's great then." He was silent for a moment and she waited for him to say more. 'So.. How was your day?" he finally asked.

"It .. It was good" a slight stutter in her tone. "Got a new job coming up, so the next few weeks or so things are going to be rather crazy. You're actually catching me a at time right before the storm descends on me, so to speak."

"That busy huh? Should I be grateful you can even spare the time to get to know me?" he laughingly asked. His deep velvet voice causing a thrill of pleasure from her eardrums right down to her spine. She had to fight the urge to audibly shudder with pleasure.

"Oh yes," she giggled, then blushed when she realised she was acting like a school girl. What was it about this man that made her feel so young and carefree. Usually she was so guarded with her feelings.

She tended to first evaluate and question her feelings before she even let a guy in and get to know the real Bella. She really couldn't say that she's been hurt a lot, but she has seen pain and knows that people will hurt you and trample all over you if you let them, even if it wasn't their intention. With Edward, though they've spent so little time together, she felt like he was the real deal. That she wouldn't have to close herself off, that she was completely free to just be herself and she guessed that's what attracted her even more to him. He didn't seem to expect anyone else but who she really was.

She mentally shook herself and remembered he was still on the other side of the line. "How was your day though?" she quickly asked.

"Very busy, but today seemed a rather pleasant and easy-going day."

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"I think it might have had something to with a rather wonderful woman I went out with last night" he mused.

"Oh? Did you go on another date after I left you?" she gasped in mock horror.

"Unless I bumped into you again after that, I'm pretty sure I had a great time with you" he replied, not missing a beat.

Bella couldn't stop the grin from spreading over her face. She could feel her face muscles tightening with her smile and didn't care if anyone might see her.

"Oh…Uhm… wow." She was at a little bit of a loss for words. He'd come right out and admitted her thought she was wonderful. How was she ever going to get that kind of praise out of her head?

"Well, I have to admit I think you're rather great as well" she said playing it cool and being honest. It was a first for her, being this honest and putting the games aside. She wondered if it might just be too good to be true. She sure hoped not. Edward really was a great guy from what she could tell and she wouldn't want to miss out on having a chance with him. She just hoped she too was the kind of woman he wanted in his life. _Oh gosh, _she thought, _I'm getting way ahead of myself! Take it easy Bells, you're a great woman! You know it and he just needs to find that out too. _Her little mantra gave her the moment to pause and just relax.

"Seeing that we're in agreement," she heard him say. "I definitely think we should have a third and fourth date after tomorrow! You know, just to make sure…" His voice faded slightly at the last few words.

"There's no harm in that. I'll see you tomorrow then?" she asked as a way to get him to end the call.

Not that she did not want to keep chatting to him, but she had a feeling she was going to trip over a her own tongue several times like a lovesick school girl and if she didn't end it now, she wouldn't be able to concentrate on making dinner for Emmet, her cousin. They, Emmet and his girlfriend Rosalie, were coming around in about an hour and if she didn't start cooking now, they'd only have empty plates to stare at. And a hungry Emmet was downright annoying. The man was built like a bear and ate like one too.

"Yeah, looking forward to it. Have a good evening," he said just before he rang off.

"You too."

Bella smiled down at he mobile. She was sure tomorrow was going to be interesting. She dropped her phone on the counter, grabbed the rest of her things and headed to her bedroom to change into something more comfortable. As she made her way there, she started formulating a menu in her head and managed to settle on poached haddock, roasted veggies, jacket potatoes and a green salad. Her stomach grumbled as if to say that she should hurry up.

"Yeah, yeah I'm on it" she muttered back, amused.

Bella sat down with Kathleen Denali, or Kate as she's come to call he over the years; discussing the terms of her upcoming job she'd be doing for BLD MARKETING. She'd been doing contract work with the company for nearly three years now, building a trusted and comfortable relationship with Kate, the managing director. Kate has offered her a permanent position at the company on several occasions over the last few years and though the offer was certainly tempting, she just liked her freedom and her own hours too much to be tied down to a nine-to-five job.

"Basically" she heard Kate speak. "You'll be observing the marketing processes of one of our biggest clients. They want us to develop a new marketing strategy for them, so you and Angela Weber will be spending about four weeks at their offices. It really is the best way to see how they work and where they fall and why they succeed or don't. That way you and Ange will be on the same page where product development is concerned."

"It does sound rather complicated. Is there anything more you can tell me about the company?" Bella asked her. She needed to prepare really well for this and the better prepared she was, then her job should go off fairly easy and without any hitches.

"Oh it's all in the binder. Now you only start in two weeks time and you'll be on contract for about two months. You'll have to go to HR after this meeting just to sort out the kinks, but the general agreement is that you'll be paid the rate of a permanent staff member, something you know we've wanted for a long time now already!"

Kate smiled at Bella with her last comment. Every time she used Bella Swan's services, she tried to make the offer of a permanent position at the company more tempting, but the girl just wasn't budging. She knew that if she couldn't convince her to accept over the last two years, then there's probably very little that could make her change her mind right now. But she tried each time and she'll probably keep trying. Bella was an intelligent and creative woman. She had a knack for coming up with ideas that was more than just thinking out of the box. There was something special about the girls work ethic that would make her a great asset to BLD.

As she walked Bella to the door the wondered if Bella had plans. She was rather 'dressed up' for a simple meeting with Kate. Bella's style was more formal and structured when it came to business, but her attire right now made Kate take notice of her. Bella's tiny figure gave her curves that most women wished for, though sometimes Kate thought Bella was very unaware she had curves at all. The girl was convinced she was as interesting as a plank with legs. But at tiny as she was, Bella had curves in just the right places and Kate herself envied her sometimes. Whatever impression Bella intended to make an impression on someone tonight and the outfit certainly was going to make it work. The dark, fitted jeans, aqua shirt and short cropped blazer would definitely make it all work. She looked good.

"Have fun wherever you're going" she said with a wink. She giggled as she watched Bella's face flush in pink with embarrassment.

"Your outfit gives it away," she told her. "If you're intending to make a good impression, you're on the right track."

"Thanks," Bella laughed with her. "I'll chat to you on Friday when I drop off the contract?"

"Yes, see you Friday."

Kate watched her go and not only envied her youth and beauty, that she obviously was not aware of, but she also envied the excitement of dating. She'd been married so long, she forgot about the excitement of falling in love. Sometimes she took her husband for granted.

Turning towards her desk, Kate thought that it was time she reminded he husband that she still did in fact love him.

**So that's chapter four. What do you think? Any good?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yay! I was so please at having received my first review that I was all amped for editing another chapter. Been visiting friends and just returned home, so I have a bit of couch-potato time and thought to put it to good use.**

**Just a note to everyone, my story has a bit of a slow build up, so warn me when you think it's getting a bit boring.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Twilight related even though I would like to.**

CHAPTER FIVE

Edward stood at the entrance of _Poca Bellezza _waiting for Bella's arrival. He felt nervous. Not a feeling he was used to where women were concerned as he realised he's always had it kinda easy. He wasn't an arrogant man, but women came to him and very little effort was required on his part. He realised that in Bella's case, everything was different. He had to work to gain her admiration…her respect. She was different then every other woman he had ever been with.

Edward decided that he definitely liked different.

He unclenched his fists and flexed his fingers, hoping it would take the nerves away. He looked up when he heard a car pull up in the small parking lot. When the purr of the engine came to a quiet, he realised it was Bella's rental car. He briefly wondered how long she'd have to wait for the return of he own car. He guessed it shouldn't be more than a week longer.

He quietly made his way to her car and watched her silently as she got her bag from the car. She looked beautiful and the sight of he caused a pleasant ache in the pit of his stomach.

Desire.

It wasn't new to him, but this time it was different. He slowly sucked in his breath and made his way to her.

"You look great," he whispered eyeing her jean clad bottoms.

She swung round and gasped. "Oh! You gave me such a fright!" she almost sputtered. "It's not nice to sneak up on someone like that Edward!"

Bella clutched her hand to her chest in mock fright, though secretly her heart was beating just a little too fast. The parking area was quiet and deserted, which never bode well for a woman alone.

She eyed him speculatively and appreciated the way he looked. The dark charcoal trousers, white tee with open neck shirt suited him well. Looking like that, he could warm any girls heart and that crooked smile that he was throwing her way.. Well that smile could just about push her over the edge, if she let him.

He held out his arm to her. As she took it she found herself being lead towards a path through a dense and aromatic garden.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to scare you. Just didn't want you to come looking for me." he said as he pulled her closer to him. "Besides, a walk through _Poca Bellezza _ gardens are not meant to be experienced alone."

Edward smiled down at her and Bella felt her heart skip a beat yet again. She looked down at her arm looped in his and somehow, as if her hand had a mind of its own, she pulled her arm free of his and slipped her smaller hand into his larger, stronger right hand. When she looked back up in his face, he too was looking down at their hands and the smile on his face gleamed with pleasure and he squeezed it slightly as they made their way through the lush gardens.

They followed the stone cobbled path. The tips of the flowers and ferns were leaning towards the path, as if they wanted to reach in and touch those who passed by, slowly guided them towards the restaurant. On the edges of a garden she heard the distant sound of water. A pond? Maybe a fountain. It reminded her of toads and fairies. The magic of the garden certainly went to her head.

"It's beautiful here" she murmured. "Do you come here a lot?"

"Not often." He smiled down at her as he led her under the wings of a willow tree. "Only on really special occasions."

"Oh!" Her eyes widened ever so slightly. "Would this be one of those occasions?"

Edward's crooked smile broadened at her question. He didn't even need a minute to think about that question.

"On a scale of 1-5?" he asked playfully.

She tilted her head to the side. "I'm not sure I like being rated."

"Would it make a difference if I told you this date scores way above the top?" Edward's dimpled smile was making it very hard for her to keep her head clear. She nearly stumbled over her own feet, but he just held onto her hand just a little tighter.

"I think it just might" she whispered and instantly felt the warm flush on her face and was pretty sure she was already ten shades of red by then. She turned her face away from him, but her action was halted when she felt his fingers at her jaw. Raising her brow at him questioningly, she looked up into his face.

I like the fact that you blush." He didn't let go of her face, instead cupping his hand to her right cheek. Bella did everything in her power to not lean into his hand and close her eyes. The heat from his hand was more heated than that of her blush. She could only stare at him, waiting for him to elaborate.

"Too often I can't tell what a woman is thinking and that puts us right in the middle of the guessing game. And believe me when you guess, there's a pretty good chance you're going to get a few things wrong."

He watched her brow furrow as she considered what he'd said. He had the strongest urge to kiss her right now, but knew it wasn't quite the time yet. Sure the setting was rather romantic. A beautiful night with a beautiful woman, but he did not want her to be too shy to look at him after their first kiss. He could see right through her nerves, but she didn't know that his own nerves were eating at him too. The doe-like expression she was carrying right now, nearly made him forget what he wanted to say.

"With you it's different though" he managed to continue. "Your blush is pleasantly refreshing. You're not one of those women that keeps their cool so well, that a guy has to be a genius to know what she wants and what she's thinking. I like the fact that you blush. I like that when I say something that pleases you, your face says it all."

He broke eye contact with her for a second, looking down at their hands. He gave her hand a slight squeeze, circling his thumb on the back of her hand. He was well aware that it was a very intimate gesture. He slyly looked at her from under the hood of his eyes and flashed her a tentative smile.

"You my dear… you're very good for a mans ego" he said as he playfully winked at her.

Bella couldn't stop herself from bursting out laughing! "I didn't think you were the kind of man who's ego would need stroking."

"I'm a man. We always need to have our egos boosted!" He laughed along with her while pulling her closer to the restaurant. He stopped at the entrance and turned towards her. "You're going to love this place," he said.

Bella swore that sheepish devil-may-care-grin of his was going to be the end of her. She watched the maitre d' approach him and address him without having to ask his name. She came to the conclusion that even though he said he didn't come here often, that it was often enough that they knew him by name.

While they were being led to their table, which by the way seems to be permanently reserved for 'Monsieur Cullen', Bella made a quick assessment of her surroundings. She told Edward before that she'd always wanted to come here and it wasn't a lie. She just never felt like this was the kind of place you came to for casual dinners with friends or colleagues. And as much as she loves going out to dinners by herself, she knew that _Poca Bellezza _was not the kind of place you came to alone. She didn't have _that _ much confidence. It was a place for couples, partners, romances…the kind of atmosphere that made love blossom.

The candlelit tables beckoned them closer, pulling them into the heart of the place. The place really was beautiful. The room buzzed with murmurs of conversation, quiet and intimate. The flames of the strategically placed candles, bounced off the lush fabrics and textures, casting a glow of romance over the diners. The place was a romantic's dream.

As Edward helped her take her seat, she felt his cheek brush the right side of her face.

"I hope you're going to have a lovely evening," he whispered. His warm breath tickled her earlobe and she instantly warmed into another pink tinted blush. Her gaze fluttered down to the table in front of her and she suddenly found the monochromatic pattern on the tablecloth very interesting.

Edward took his seat opposite her. He was very glad that tables for two were considerably smaller than the other tables. As he made himself comfortable he saw her intensely eyeing the tablecloth. He wasn't exactly sure what was so interesting about it, but it seemed to have captured her interest. By the look of the frown she was carrying yet again, he guessed she must be deep in thought.

"Is the pattern really that interesting?"

Bella's head snapped up and a mild look of confusion painted her heart shaped face. For a second she resembled a guppy with a mouth opening and closing and yet no sound came out. Edward smiled. He definitely caught her deep in though.

He cocked his head towards the table. "The pattern," he said. "Is it really that interesting?"

She lowered her eyes to the table and awareness enlightened her face. For the third time in the last 15 minutes, her face flushed with heat.

"You caught me," she said, visibly trying to relax. "I was just thinking."

"Penny for your thoughts then?"

"Ha! I'm afraid you can't afford them." There was no way in hell she was actually going to tell him that he was the one keeping her mind so occupied and the table cloth was simply the thing she was staring at blindly.

"You sure?" Edward pushed a menu to her side of the table. "If I crack open my old piggy bank, I'd have at least a hundred pennies to pay you for them."

His eyes twinkled with laughter and his crooked grin found its way to the surface again.

"A hundred pennies," she mused, rubbing her fingers along her chin as if giving it serious thought. "A hundred pennies wouldn't do. But I might be tempted to change my mind if you throw in a hundred and one pennies and bag of those honey and almond cookies we had at the coffee shop."

"I'm afraid your price is too high." He deadpanned. "If I went out to get you a bag of those cookies, it might never make it to you. They're way too temping to share."

"Oh!" Her eyes grew wide and she teasingly reached out to softly hit his hand. She halted her gesture midway and instead fingered the edge of the menu. Her words were suddenly stuck in her throat. Clearing it, opened the menu and painted her face with a new smile.

"You really won't share?"

"No. I'm afraid not. My sister keeps trying to sneak some of my secret stash, but she always comes second when it comes to those cookies."

Bella's mind flared with recognition at the mention of his sister. She nearly forgot about the girl that was singularly responsible for the two of them being out for dinner tonight. Together. At the same table!

"How is your sister by the way? Bree, was it?"

"Yeah. The number one thorn in my life right now." He grimaced at an unpleasant thought involving his sister. "That little trouble maker is home alone at the moment. At least I hope so. As far as teenagers go, she most likely has a boy there right now. She'd do it just to tick me off."

"But how would you even know she had a guy there?" Bella asked as she browsed through the menu, her eyes falling on the roast lamb with baby potatoes and greens.

"My _sweet _ little sister would make a point of leaving clues for me." A frown appeared on his face. "She does it just to see what kind of reaction she would get out of me. I wish I could just ignore her when she gets like that, but she knows exactly which buttons to push." A deep sigh escaped him and his frown deepened even more. Bella couldn't help but let a faint giggle pass her lips. The sound made Edward pause and think about what he'd just said.

"I sound like her 'old man', don't I?" he asked with a sheepish grin. A grin very similar to that crooked one of his, but not nearly as devastating.

"Just a little." She set her menu down on the table and leaned into his space a little. "Have you concocted a 'punishment' for her yet? Though I really think we should thank her rather than punish her. To think we wouldn't be sitting here right now. Can you imagine that?" She repeated her earlier thoughts with a wide and easy smile.

"Hmmm… you're right, but she should live out her punishment first before she gets any sort of thanks from me. I spoke to _The Parents _and we agreed that Bree getting her driver's permit will be delayed by another year. She was supposed to get it next month, but because of her rather big blunder, we decided that the punishment should befit the crime."

"Wow! Harsh!" Liz brought her glass of water to her lips and took a quick sip. "I bet she wasn't very happy when you told her the news?"

"No, not at all. You should have seen the tantrum she threw. I swore she was back to her terrible two's again. But I'm willing to put up with her surly moods and stink eye until she's learnt her lesson."

"Stink eye?" Liz cocked a questioning eyebrow.

"You know? Like giving someone the 'evil-eye'? She gives it to me all the time. Tries to intimidate me with it, but it's never going to work. I'm her brother, I don't feel guilty for not letting her get her way. She'll grow out of it eventually. We all do."

Bella watched him as he talked about his baby sister. He might profess irritation for her teenage behaviour, but she could tell that he loved her like a big brother should. Her heart warmed towards him even more. His eyes twinkled with amusement even though his words projected a stern and determined attitude to getting his kid sister to behave.

"Surely it hasn't been so long since you've been a kid and thought you knew everything?" she asked him. "She's what? Seventeen?" She waited for and affirmative gesture from his side. "At that age you think you're all grown up and know it all and no one can tell you any different. It's going to be a while before she realizes that she's actually thankful for you in her life. The 'stink eye' will only last so long. Besides…" she paused "you're her big brother. She's supposed to be irritating and testing your patience. You should try to have some fun with her sometime."

Bella watched his face scrunch up in a frown. She thought just maybe she was a bit forward in her assessment and free advice. She hardly knew the dynamics of their relationship and shouldn't be lecturing him on being a big brother instead of a parent. She wondered what he was thinking. He wasn't exactly speedy in his response.

"I'm sorry" she said. 'It's not really my place to preach to you like that." She cocked her head sideways with an apologetic smile.

"No. it's ok. You're right. She's my kid sister. I do love her and I suppose like any other teenager she's going through some kind of identity crisis."

Bella relaxed a little at his response. He sounded like he was _listening_ to her and didn't just _hear_ her. "It's tougher on girls," she said. "At that age you don't know who you're supposed to be yet. Somewhere in the middle of leaving childhood behind and becoming a woman. It can be a rather daunting, sometimes even painful experience."

"Was that how it was for you?" The question was tentative.

"If I said it wasn't, I'd be lying." She angled herself away from him a bit, their faces were much too close for her to remember to keep breathing. "I was a tomboy at heart growing up, but the second I hit my teens, I didn't know where I fit in. All my girlfriends eased into womanhood like it was the most natural thing, but for me… I didn't quite know what to do. I still wanted to be just one of the guys, but at the same time realised that guys weren't just equals to me anymore. I started to notice the opposite sex and realised that as a tomboy I was very much invisible."

"It really couldn't have been that bad, could it?"

"Oh yeah!" she said as she raised her brows at him whilst nodding her head vigorously. "See, I was stuck in the middle, I wanted to be like the other girls, but I wanted to have fun with my guy friends like I used to. And at the time it just seemed that I didn't fit in really. I became very withdrawn and I suppose a bit moody."

A frown appeared on her forehead and just as easily it disappeared and a smile took its place.

"I have no idea how my parents put up with me. Moody, surly and just plain insolent sometimes," she said. "Sound familiar?"

Edward scratched his head thoughtfully and smiled at her.

"I guess I need be a little more understanding right?" He waited for an affirmative nod from her. "Give her time and try to understand her rather than try to make her do and be what I think is best for her?"

"I think you just passed the first lesson in _Teenage drama queens: 101_!"

Edward's laughter boomed across the table. She returned his mood with a giggle of her own.

"Is that what's it called? I guess I missed the memo on that one when they decided to hand out the manual to that."

"Well I've got it all up here," Bella said tapping the side of her temple. "If you get stuck and the answers are really beyond your reach, just pick up the phone and I'll see if I can help."

"Don't worry, I'll definitely hold you to that. You're going to wish you never said that."

Edward's smiled broadened at the atmosphere between him and Bella. He never realized it could be this easy between them. Often when he went out with a woman there was always that intense flirting and the need to impress each other, but with Bella, it was so easy. Not once did he have to wrack his brain to think about something to say. He didn't have to list his accomplishments in an attempt to impress her. It was easy to be himself and it made it so much easier for him to like her more and more.

Suddenly he felt his stomach growl every so slightly. He hadn't realised he was so hungry. He had such a crazy day at the office and looking forward to tonight, that he was far too distracted to even think about food.

"Uhm… are you ready to order?" he asked as he beckoned the waiter towards their table.

The rest of the evening was spent with easy conversation. It felt comfortable. There were no uncomfortable silences, no pregnant pauses. Conversation flowed as if they've known each other for years. Even when their meals arrived, they weren't distracted from talking the night away. Between delicious mouthfuls of tender lamb and roasted country vegetable, they kept the banter going.

Bella was impressed by Edward's witty remarks and his obvious intelligence, though less impressed with his uncanny knack for making her blush at the worst moments ever. He told her each time that he found it adorable, but she however found it embarrassing and inconvenient. Her blush almost always gave her away. It also made her a terrible liar and incapable of keeping secrets for too long. He seemed to find that titbit of information rather amusing, saying that he'd remember that for future references, which in turn only made her blush more. Her small grunt of frustration only made him laugh at her.

After a delicious meal, they moved onto a very sweet dessert, a meringue swirl topped with glazed fruit for Bella and simple chocolate cake with a moist centre for Edward. He watched as she spooned the glazed strawberries and other mixed fruit onto her taste buds and he all but groaned when she released and audible moan as the flavours battled in her mouth. When she closed her eyes on the next bite and angle her head backwards, exposing the smooth contours of her deliciously pale neck, Edward felt his centre tighten with want. His grip on the spoon in his hand tightened as he watched her catch a drop of syrup with the tip of her tongue. _She's going to be the end of me _he thought. His knuckles visibly turned white as she took another bite. In an attempt to gain control over himself, he closed his eyes and added complex equations in his head.

"Are you alright?" He stilled at the sound of her voice and slowly opened his eyes. Her questioning gaze and the concerned look on her face clearly meant she had no idea what kind of effect she had on him.

"No.. no I'm good." He pushed his half eaten dessert away from him. "I think I've had enough sweet things for now."

She merely shrugged and continued to dig into her dessert until every morsel was gone. He watched her finish the fruit, every bite making him more and more uncomfortable. She was completely oblivious, chatting away excitedly. Every once in a while she would give him a questioning look when she glanced at his rigid pose and white knuckles. He forced himself to visibly relax. He wouldn't want her thinking that he was unhappy with her in some way.

She didn't need to know that he hungered for a different kind of sweetness that had nothing to do with the desserts in front of them.

**So that's chapter five. Please review… I'd love that so much.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Doing the late night editing. Meant to do this yesterday, but I got busy.. Well busy taking a nap anyway ****. Anyway, it's Sunday night and I've just returned home after seeing my friend's new home. Really lovely place and cant wait till summer starts so I can take advantage of the awesome swimming pool they have.**

**But let's move onto more important matters. The following chapter… it might involve a tiny bit of heat..**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Twilight related… only the books and dvd's I paid for.**

CHAPTER SIX

As Bella and Edward walked back towards the quiet parking lot, she felt an intense heat surrounding her. She was so acutely aware of him walking next to her, her concentration on his movements so intense, she nearly lost her sense of balance. Fortunately his reflexes were quick and he managed to steady her each and every time. She mentally told her self to look forward, keep breathing and take it one step at a time. She didn't want him thinking she was deliberately losing her footing just so he could catch her , though she did give the deceit some serious thought. Albeit briefly.

Bella wished the night wouldn't come to such a quick end. Though it had been hours already, she felt that the evening had passed too soon. She was having a great time getting to know him. He was charming, funny, obviously intelligent and had such a warmth about him that she didn't look forward to parting from him already. She felt the heat of his hand on her right elbow and the tingles crawled all the way up her arm. She struggled to restrain herself from shuddering in obvious pleasure. If this was what she felt when he merely touched her elbow, then how was she going to handle anything more?

"I really had a great time you know," he steered her towards the drivers side of her rental car. She paused next to the door, unsure of what to do next. Stand around making pleasant conversation and wait for him to kiss her? Or get all pleasantries done and just get into her car and drive off? Before she could come to a decision, it seemed that Edward made it for her. He moved his hand from her elbow to her upper arm, his feather light touch making her breath catch in her throat.

"I'd be really happy if we could do this again?"

She blinked at the question in his voice. Why was he even asking? Of course she'd want to see him again! His brow had an expectant frown. She realised that she hadn't said a word since they'd stepped foot off the foot path leading out of the gardens.

"I'd be just as happy if we could do this again too," she managed to whisper once she collected some air into her lungs.

Edward moved his hand from her shoulder to the smooth contours of her neck. From there he slowly trailed his fingertips along the side of her face, the tickling sensation along her jaw line making her insides churn. She never knew a touch as simple as that could set you afire. He cupped his hand to her face and _this _ time she did lean into it, closing her eyes and losing herself into the heat of his palm. When his thumb caressed the outline of her lips, she could barely hold herself together. She willed herself to look at him, opening her eyes with bated breath.

She found his eyes smouldering down at her. He gently nudged her against the car, placing a hand on either side of her, essentially trapping her between them. She took a quiet moment to take a look at each of his hands. His fingers were clenched tightly on the seam between the roof and door of the car, as if restraining himself, maybe fighting a battle only known to him.

She angled her head towards him, about to ask him if anything was wrong, when she felt his lips come down on hers. His kiss was soft. Gentle. His lips barely applying any pressure, but when a barely audible moan escaped hers, he leaned into her and deepened the kiss. His right hand found the small of her back and pulled her into him. His lips on hers, turned her limbs to liquid. Was it even possible to be on fire and turn to mush at the same time? If it were at all possible, Bella was sure _this _ was how it felt. Her lips opened to his and the taste of him made her purr. At least that's what it sounded like to her own ears. As his lips tangoed with her own, she found the ability to move her limbs again and snaked her hands to grab hold of his shirt front and tugged him even closer to her.

Somewhere between trying to hold herself up and kissing this wonderful man, Bella swore she was seeing spots. It took her a second to realize she'd quit breathing. As if he were thinking the same thing, Edward wrenched his lips from hers, drawing in a sharp breath and resting his lips in the crook of her neck. His accelerated breathing brushed haltingly against her skin, mimicking her own laboured breaths. She was glad for the support of his body and that of the car behind her. She knew with utmost certainty that if he were to step away from her before she'd gathered herself, her legs would buckle under her, making her crumble at his feet.

Edward held Bella in his arms, replaying the moment in his mind. He felt her shudder slightly while she turned her delicious mouth to his ear.

"Wow!" She whispered against his skin, as if whispering was all she could manage at that moment. It made him chuckle against hers in turn. That wonderful, creamy, sensuous skin. Before he could stop himself, he placed a gentle kiss against her pulse, which ignited a frantic beating under her skin, very much echoing that of his heart.

He lifted his head and looked at her face. Her eyes were still half closed, her lips slightly parted. Her expression brought on a whole new onslaught of thoughts, feeding his imagination for a more intimate experience. He blinked for a second or two, pushing the thoughts from his mind.

"Yeah, _wow _pretty much describes it perfectly," he chuckled and quickly rewarded her with a smile that made her wobble slightly on the balls of her feet.

"I'd like to keep doing this, but I don't think the patrons of this restaurant would appreciate two grown ups behaving like lovesick teenagers in a dark parking lot." He moved himself a way from her, creating a small distance, but keeping her hand trapped in his. He brought her hand to his chest over his heart.

"Feel that?" He asked as he waited for her to feel the thunderous beating in his chest. Her head angled at the slightest nod.

"I've never felt that." The emotion was raw in his voice. "Passion and lust maybe, but _this," _he patted his chest where her hand still hovered, "No, woman has ever made me feel like this. No woman has ever made me feel like my heart was about to jump out of my chest!"

He drew in a deep breath, raw with his desire and feeling. He looked into her eyes one last time, finding her staring at him with an expression that was a mix of dumfounded shock and complete pleasure at his words. He didn't think his assumption would be wrong if she felt exactly like he was feeling now. He smiled. That would probably account for her lack of words right now.

"I want you to drive home carefully," he told her. "When you're safely locked inside, I want you to text me to let me know you're home safe?"

"I will." He barely heard her.

"Promise me."

"I promise I'll text you once I'm safely indoors Edward." A small smile dimpled her cheek as she answered him.

Edward gently touched his lips to her forehead before he helped her into her car. She gave him one last glance before she drove off. As she rounded the corner, it vaguely reminded him of the day they met not too long ago. He'd been watching her as he'd left the parking lot too, wondering if he would see her again. But this time he knew it wasn't the last time.

He hurriedly got into his own car and drove home where he knew he'd anxiously be waiting for her text message. He wouldn't be able to sleep without it.

Bella fumbled with her keys and she tried to unlock her front door. Her haste to get indoors so that she could finally text Edward, made her clumsy and gave her butter fingers. As she finally managed to get indoors, she felt the buzzing of her cell phone in her bag. She nearly dropped the bag in excitement. She mastered a sense of control by not going for the bag first, but instead turned around and made sure that the door was securely locked behind her, even double checking the latches. Making her way to her bedroom, she dug her hand into her bag and pulled out her phone and viewed the text she'd just gotten moments ago. A smile touched her lips.

Of course it was Edward.

_Are you home yet?_

She chuckled at his impatience and typed a speedy reply.

_Just got in like a minute ago. Couldn't you just wait five more minutes? _

It wasn't even ten seconds and her phone went off again, this time from an incoming call and not a text. She answered the call with a smile in her voice. "You could have just texted me back, you know."

"That would have taken too long," he retorted. His serious tone was traced with amusement. "I wanted to make sure you were safe indoors."

"I'm fine!" The silence on the other side of the line made her continue, "Everything's locked up and I've set the alarm for all exits and windows. Are you happy now?" she grumbled mockingly. He answered her question with a soft chuckle.

"I'm glad you're safe. Now do me a favour?"

"Sure…What is it?" She wondered what he would come up with this time.

"Go tuck yourself in and make sure I'm the last thing you think about when you finally close your eyes and fall asleep." His voice had feeling this time. Not so much laced with humour like it was moments ago, but with a gentle tone that filled the deep corners of her heart. It started thumping erratically in her chest, the rhythm reaching her own ears. He didn't have to know that since she's met him, he was all she could think about. Occasionally, he was even present in her dreams.

"On one condition," she replied softly.

"Anything."

"I'd do it if you quit worrying and do exactly the same?" His answering chuckle tickled her ears.

"I promise." She could see the smile on his face. She closed her eyes remembering him holding her barely thirty minutes ago in the parking lot of _Poca Bellezza. _It was not the feelings of heat and desire she was thinking of now, but instead the contentment of being wanted and being held. She mentally embraced the feeling.

"Goodnight Edward," she whispered into the mouthpiece of the phone.

"Sleep tight Bella. I'll call you real soon, okay?"

"Kay."

There was a moment of silence from both of them. She could faintly make out his steady breathing before he ended the call. For a moment she stood in her bedroom's doorway still holding the phone to her ear. A slow sigh escaped her lips, followed by a smile. She practically glided to her bed, placing the phone on the bedside table and dropping herself on the bed with a heavy thud. She couldn't help but giggle at the prospect of seeing him again. Hopefully soon.

A few days later Bella stood in the paint section of the hardware store, waiting for Alice to get done with everything that was distracting her from getting to where Bella was. She watched the pregnant woman at a distance. If it wasn't the colourful tiles that were distracting her, then it was outdoor furniture, gadgets for Jasper or simple door knobs. She swore since the pixie found out she was pregnant, she had the attention span of a puppy chasing it's own tail. Alice put down the shiny silver bear-shaped contraption and quickly glided towards Bella. Yes, _glide _ was just the right word. Being pregnant did not stop her from being graceful and abnormally chirpy. Her rounded belly did not slow her down. She practically skipped everywhere she went. Bella decided it was downright disgusting how Alice could make being twice her normal size seem like she was feather light and happy about it. Not very fair to every other pregnant woman in the world, who might love being pregnant, but didn't like the swollen ankles, an aching back and breaking out. Glowing and a sparkle in your eye wasn't something that applied to every pregnant woman, but it certainly applied to _Short stuff _ coming her way.

"What's with the grimace on your face?" Alice asked as she came to a stop next to Bella. She took the colour chart from Bella's hands and immediately flipped to anything pink.

"Oh nothing. Just waiting for you to get done looking at everything that has nothing to do with why we're actually here today."

"Sarcasm doesn't become you, you know." Alice fingered some shade of pastel pink called _pink blossom. _It was nestled between _blush pink _and _cotton candy rose. "_Hey, how do you tell the difference between these three colours?" She handed the colour chart back to Bella, pointing a lacquered fingernail at the colours.

"Hmmm…" Bella held the colours in front of a white board and squinted her eyes trying to focus. "The pink blossom is a bit on the peach side and the blush pink a bit too dark, so I'd go for the cotton candy rose."

"I don't even know how you tell the difference. It's all pale pink to me!" Alice took the colour chart from Bella and immediately selected another deeper shade of pink. She had just settled her mind on _hot pink _when the chart was ripped out of her hands.

"Hey!" she said glaring at Bella. "What did you do that for?"

"Pink is for girls!" Bella flipped the chart to the paler tones of yellow. "This!" she said pointing at _sunshine smiles, _"is more like it. I thought that we all agreed that since you refuse to know the sex of your baby, we'd settle on a pale yellow and white with mint and aqua highlights." She continued to point other paler versions of the mint and aqua she just mentioned and motioned for Alice to follow her to the swatch counter where they painted the actual colour for you on a piece of hardboard. For a moment it was too quiet behind her and she was just about to turn around and ask the pixie if she was coming or not, when she heard the distinct shuffling of her friends feet as she eventually decided to follow her. A smiled pulled at the corners of her mouth. _I guess grace and poise flies out the door when she doesn't get her way _she thought as the shuffling became more and more distinct. She giggled to herself. She could feel the reluctance vibrating off Alice, but she was not going to give in to her pout. Alice got her way much too often. That's why Bella was here choosing colours with her instead of Jasper. If he had been with Alice, they'd be walking out of here with everything pink and white with hints of lilac and all that, while having no confirmation whether they'd be having a boy or a girl. Jasper loved his way too much to not give her her way.

After giving the assistant at the counter their colours and having a heated discussion with Alice about the various shades of the same colours, Bella finally put her foot down and made her choose a colour.

"Look," she said. "Most of the baby's furniture is dark wood and your carpet a light tan. The only permanent fixtures of colour are two adjacent walls. Everything else you'll be able change to a distinctly boy or girl colour scheme once the baby is here."

Alice furrowed her brow at the thought. She knew Bella was slightly irritated at her lack of decision making skills right now, but she knew her friend was right.

"I guess it doesn't take too much effort to swap the baby's bedding, curtaining and a few odd accessories," she conceded.

"That's my girl!" Bella laughed as she gave Alice a light squeeze. "Come on, lets get the paint so that we can get your husband and brother to start painting that room already."

"Since when are you so bossy? Usually I'm the one laughing at you for not getting your way!"

"You don't always have to get your way your know." Bella pushed the trolley with the heavy buckets of paint towards the check out counter. She tried to avoid making eye contact with Alice. The girl had a way of seeing right through her.

"You're only like this when you've had something good happen to you!" Alice frowned up at Bella.

"You've kissed him!" she squealed with delight. Her excited voice going two octaves higher the more excited she became. Bella swore she just saw her jump up and down and clap her hands, before she reigned in her excitement when she realized the cashier was giving her funny looks.

"Would you keep quiet!" Liz seethed through clenched teeth. She quickly grabbed the cash from Alice and practically shoved it into the hands of the cashier. "I'll tell you in the car if you can keep it down."

The beginnings of another high pitched squeal was quickly halted when Bella glared at Alice sideways. The pixie mockingly pursed her lips, imitated zipping her lips together, locking it and throwing the key away. Her eyes twinkled with delight and the expectation of living vicariously through her friend. She literally skipped to her green Chico, opening the rear for the parking attendant to put their purchases away. She was very glad that they had left Bella's car at her place, so that Bella was forced to endure the journey back to the house and thus had to tell her what happened with Edward. She felt the build up of another squeal trying to escape, but instead cleared her throat and got into the drivers seat as Bella strapped herself into the passenger side.

"So, we're in the car…" she said as she positioned her heavy belly more comfortably to fit into a driving position. She was well aware that pretty soon, she'd no longer be able to driver her own car. It made her sad because she loved her independence, but at the same time she knew it brought her little _girl _so much closer.

"I'm aware of that," Bella retorted sarcastically.

"Come on Bell! Don't hold out on me. Please tell me." Alice managed to successfully whine and push the car into drive while wheeling it out of the parking lot onto the road. She gave Bella her best doe-eyes and pout and hoped it worked.

"Fine. Fine. I saw him a few nights ago, okay." The whining worked and Alice smiled triumphantly. She waited for Bella to continue.

"I met him for dinner at _Poca Bellezza _on Tuesday night."

"Wow, I know you've always wanted to go there! Was it as wonderful as you thought it would be?"

"Alice, as wonderful as the restaurant was, it couldn't hold a candle to Edward."

"That great huh?"

"Better than great!" Bella mused staring out the window watching people mill about. "I know it's too soon to tell, but I've found something really good in Edward. He's warm and kind and he makes me laugh. We're so comfortable around each other, so at ease. I know it sounds completely clichéd to say this, but I really ,really do feel like I've known him forever." She got a faraway look in her eyes as they rounded the bend in the street where Alice lived. The silence in the car was not an uncomfortable one. She was glad for a friend like Alice. Even though _Short Stuff _ sometimes irritated her to oblivion and nagged her all the time to get her way, there were times when Alice knew exactly when to let Bella take her time.

"There's just something about him Alice. Something good. Something pure and open. He's a good man and he makes me feel things I wasn't even aware I was missing." She paused looking at Alice speculatively. "He makes me _feel!_ I mean really feel Alice. The man gives me tingles just talking to me!" She paused drawing in a deep breath. "but then he kissed me. God Alice, the man kisses like he got A levels in the art of lip locking!"

alice briefly looked at her best friend and couldn't help sharing in the happiness, the pure elation of love. Of being in love. The look on Bella's face was a look Alice knew she herself wore many a time when she thought of Jasper. She truly was happy for Bella and hoped that this was everything she hoped for.

Her best friend deserved some happiness. She deserved knowing what it felt like being held by someone you loved most in the world, knowing that that person's touch was the only one you needed. She mentally reminded herself that when she did get the opportunity to meet Edward Cullen, she was going to thank him thoroughly for putting that look on Bella's face.

**So there you go. That was chapter six. They're finally getting somewhere. Doesn't that first kiss really knock the socks off you? Sure did me… Review and let me know**


	7. Chapter 7

**It's been an eventful week. Seems my body knows it's turning 30 in just a few short months and it's giving in. Sucks I tell you.. Sucks big time. Basically spent my week being short of breath and everything keeps asking me if I hadn't developed asthma or something. They don't seem to get that I'm still recovering from the previous week's bit of illness and they also don't get that taking only one day off from work to get better, certainly won't get you better at all. So the healing process has been slow, but im getting there. **

**Anyway, on to better things, like Twilight and love…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or its characters. They're the property of the great SM.**

CHAPTER SEVEN

Edward lowered himself into his desk chair with a heavy sigh. He'd just finished up with a meeting with the board. They got a lot done, but that was two and a half hours he wished he could have spent with either Bella or Elliot, his son.

Though he realizes that he has yet to tell Bella about his son, he felt it wasn't quite the right time yet. They've been on several dates so far and he kept meaning to bring it up. It wasn't that he was ashamed. It wasn't that he didn't want Bella to know. He loved his son dearly and wanted Bella to know him too, but he was reluctant to drag Bella into this mess. The mess being his ex wife Victoria and he constant manipulation to get money out of him by keeping Elliot away from him.

He walked over to his mini bar, something he rarely touched, but he felt the need for something stronger than water or coffee. He quickly poured himself a Jack and lime and downed it in one swift gulp. As a grimace marred his face, he decided to tell her tonight. He'd been divorced three years now already, but he could count the amount of times he'd seen Elliot on both hands in the past 2 years. In the beginning Victoria had been pretty amicable about everything, allowing him to see Elliot every weekend and even sleepovers every other weekend. But after a year when Edward decided to get back into the dating game, Victoria decided to take off the gloves. It seemed that even though she got a huge settlement out of their divorce, she still harboured thoughts of them getting back together, using their son as a pawn to draw him into her web. He had to admit that the were a few times when he'd wondered why exactly they'd gotten divorced in the first place, but then he remembered the conversation he'd heard between her and her friend Lauren. She'd been bragging to Lauren about how she'd had Edward wrapped around her finger and his money even more tightly wrapped in her own hands. It was then that he'd started keeping an eye on her spending habits. She spent thousands on unnecessary amounts of make-up, jewellery, perfume, spa treatments and whatnot. He noticed that she'd treat his money with more affection than she treated him or even Elliot. He knew then what came first in her life. Elliot was just a bargaining chip for her and he hated her for it.

She used visitations with Elliot to get money out of him and if that didn't work, she made him miserable by keeping his son away from him. She was devious that way. Sometimes he would arrive at her home to pick up his boy for the weekend and he'd find the house silent and void of any inhabitants. Her mobile would then be switched off for the day, making it impossible for him to reach her. When he'd finally get hold of her a day or two later, she'd claim she had an emergency, that she forgotten or her mobile battery had died.

She wanted to sever his relationship with his son and the frustration was getting to him. He was afraid that the less he saw of Elliot, that the boy would soon start forgetting him. He roughly ran his fingers through his hair and a low growl rumbled through his chest. He'd be damned if he was going to let Victoria get away with this any longer. He'd already contacted his lawyer and steps were being taken for them to go to family court to make the shared custody more official. For a moment he wondered if Vicky loved her son at all. He didn't think she would go as far as conceiving a child with him simply for the purpose of trapping him and his money, but then again the way she'd been behaving lately, he supposed he couldn't put anything past her. At least she didn't neglect the boy. He was well taken care of and healthy. She denied him nothing but the presence of his father.

Edward stared at the picture of his five year old son on his desk and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. His own mother claimed that the boy looked just like him at that age, the deep dimples of his smile, the funny crinkle of his nose when he laughed and the unruly mop of bronze hair.. The startling grey eye belonged to Vicky though. They stared back at Edward from the picture.

He remembered the day he'd picked up Elliot at his mothers and the boy had run into his arms, the envelope of pictures gripped tightly in his little hands. He recalled that that was the weekend Vicky had gone off on some adventure and left their son with her own parents. They couldn't do what Vicky did and deny Edward a visit with his boy. It was the first visitation that did not start with arguments and games.

He could still hear the squeal of excitement from his son as he flew into his arms and grabbed his father around the neck, locking his little stick arms into a tight hug.

"_Daddy! Daddy!" he squealed. "I got my pictures today!"_

_Edward balanced him in one arm while taking the pictures with the other. Elliot happily explained the contents of the envelope that resulted from 'picture day' at his school._

"_There's a calendar and two big pictures. Grammy and Pappy said they'd keep the pass… pass.." His little face scrunched up trying to remember the word._

"_Passport photos?"_

"_Yes! Passports!" he squealed again. "Grammy said she'd keep those and then Nanna Esme and Pappa Carl can have the key-chain ones."_

"_But what if I want the key-chain champ?" he asked the boy with a mock pout._

_A crease appeared on the little boy's forehead. He scratched the side of his head, a gesture that was something his father did often. Then it was as if a light had switched on inside his little head and he beamed at his father._

"_We can always com..com… Complomise!" His sunny smile tugged at Edward's heart. He guessed that _compromise _ was the new word for the week. Every Friday the children were given a new word and were instructed to use it in as many sentences as they could. _

"_Well I guess we can talk and _compromise," _he nuzzled the boy's neck and emphasized the correct pronunciation. _

That was four months ago. The last weekend he'd seen Elliot. When Vicky had returned, after coming to hear of some rumour regarding him and the woman he'd started seeing casually, she decided to be even more difficult. But luckily her decisions did not stop her own parents from calling him whenever they had Elliot visiting with them. So for now he at least had phone calls , even though by law he was in full right to pick his boy up every Saturday morning. But forcefully taking Elliot from his mother would only hurt the boy and he did not want that. He had a good lawyer and Jenks was going to make sure that the court gave Edward equal time with his son.

He just needed to tell Bella about his boy and make her understand that his boy came first and sometimes that meant cancelling dates or even having a date interrupted. Mostly he wanted to assure Bella that he wanted her in his life too and he wanted her to know Elliot too, he just needed the law on his side.

Bella stood in the middle of the isle, holding two different packets of raw chicken in her hands. She eyed the writing on the bags carefully trying to figure out which packet would essentially be the best for her. The one was simply a packet of different cuts in a bag while, the other was glad wrapped in a Styrofoam holder. After much deliberation she decided that the wrapped packet would do best as it also had a sticker on it clearly emphasizing the fact that it was 'trimmed', i.e., that meant she did not have to scrape out the _yucky _ bits from the chicken. She pulled her face at the thought of the chore. She quickly turned to her cart and dropped the chicken in with the rest of her purchases.

Bella loved grocery shopping. Even though she lived alone, she enjoyed the task. Unlike most single people she knew, her kitchen was never bare. If she didn't shop for herself she shopped for friends that popped around unexpectedly. Like when Alice used called her in the middle of the night after a fight with Jasper when they were only just dating at the time. Bella was always prepared to throw together some comfort food. Or lately, with Alice being pregnant, she was now always ready to help satisfy some of Alice's pregnancy cravings.

Somehow she always managed to whip up something that could feed her best friend's cravings. She loved being in the kitchen, though cooking for one did not always make that possible. The thought made her sigh heavily as she wheeled her cart towards the condiment section. Just as she took the corner she felt the buzz of her mobile vibrating in her bag. She clumsily fumbled with the zipper with one hand while still trying to wheel the cart with the other. She found Edward's name flashing before her on the mobile screen and her heart somersaulted at the sight.

"Hey Edward!"

"Hi Babe!"

_Eeek! He called her Babe! _Her mental teenage moment made her blush instantly.

"Are you busy?" He sounded oddly serious._ Wonder what it's about?_

"Uhm… not really," she answered. "Just at the grocery store. You?"

"Still at the office unfortunately." He breathed in a deep sigh before continuing. "Though I was hoping to see you tonight? That's if you haven't got any plans?"

"No. Uhm.. I mean I don't have any plans."

"I wouldn't want to im…"

"Edward!" Bella interrupted him quickly. "I'd love to see you tonight and you won't be imposing."

She heard him chuckle on the other side of the line. She eyed the contents of her cart in front of her and had an idea.

"Hey Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think about you coming to dinner at my place instead of us going out somewhere?"

"Oh, well that would be nice. But I wouldn't want to put you out or anything." Bella pulled up her nose at his attempt at being so nice all the time. Why couldn't he just accept the invitation for what it was?

"Would you quit trying to be so nice about everything?" she interrupted him yet again. "I want you to come over to my place and I'll cook us a lovely meal. I mean I'm busy doing some grocery shopping anyway, so I might as well put the effort to good use. So what do you say? You in?"

She smiled broadly into the mouthpiece waiting for his reply.

"Sure, I'm in.' she could hear the smile reverberate through his words. "You didn't have to get all snappy if you wanted to see me so badly, you know." His mocking tone made her laugh out loud, causing some of the people in the store to look at her sideways.

"Oh, yeah, cause I'm _sooooo _ eager!" she retorted.

"Really?"

His tone was suddenly very serious again. Bella gasped, but realised that he was still making fun of her.

"Oh quit fooling around!" She laughed. His answering chuckle confirmed her train of thought. "I'll see you at 6:30?"

"Yeah, looking forward to it. Oh and should I bring anything? Wine maybe?"

_Forever the gentleman, _she thought. "Uhm.. How about you surprise me with dessert? Can I trust you with that?"

"It's not exactly rocket science Bella!"

"See you later Edward" she grumbled.

His laughter made her warm inside. "6:30 sharp!"

Bella shook her head and smiled again. She shoved her mobile back into her bag and eyed her cart again with a delicious meal in mind. She quickly made her way to the produce section as it all came together in her head.

Edward stood in front of Bella's front door nervously gripping the brown paper bag in his left hand. He'd been tempted to eat the contents of the bag the second he paid for it but it contained the dessert he promised Bella. It should be a good surprise for her. He wasn't altogether inadequate when it came to food. He knew she was going to love it and it was the look on her happy face he was expecting that stopped him for devouring the contents first.

He was hesitant to ring the bell. He didn't know how he was going to bring up the topic of Elliot without scaring her away or making her angry. He really wanted Bella to stick around and he hoped that waiting so long to tell her about his boy was not going to influence her negatively. Sure he expected her to be a little angry. Ok, maybe a lot angry, but he figured she liked him enough to still want to forgive him afterwards.

Clinging to that hope he raised his right hand and lightly pressed his finger to the buzzer. He waited for sounds of activity inside the house, but nothing came. For a moment he thought that just maybe she forgotten about their plans, but he spied her car in the drive. Her own car, not the rental. He was happy she had it back. He didn't like her waiting so long for it, but it couldn't be avoided. Just as he was about get lost in his train of thought, he heard the familiar thumping of someone running for the door. It swung open revealing a barefooted Bella beaming up at him.

The sight of her left him momentarily speechless. He felt the familiar heat of desire grow in his centre. She was wearing a sleeveless white sundress that made it hard for him to breath. The shoulders of dress came down to the front in a V right smack in the middle of her cleavage. He could barely tear his eyes away from it, but he did manage to look at the rest of her. The dress tightened under her bust with a wide lace band and flared out slightly around the curve of her body till it reached the middle of her calves. At the hem of her dress he spied layers of lace peeking out. Then he saw her bare feet again and he wondered whether this was the beginnings of some sort of foot fetish. He'd never found a woman's feet desirable, they were just feet after all, but on Bella…they were something else entirely. He liked the shape of them and her dainty little toes wiggling their pink polished nails at him. He repressed the urge to chuckle and looked up at her again. He found her eyes twinkling and looking at him expectantly.

"Now I wish I brought flowers." She raised an eyebrow questioningly. "You look beautiful." He swiftly bent down to touch his lips to her cheeks.

Almost instantaneously that familiar blush of hers painted her face. This time it was his heart that warmed at the sight of her. He watched her avert her face away from his, her blush making her even more embarrassed, the redness creeping to the back of her neck as she turned and pulled him inside the house. He wondered if she even knew that she blushed that deeply.

"What's in the bag Slick?" she asked as she closed the door behind them.

"Slick?"

"Ya, you're looking all smooth and suave like an Italian mobster with that brown paper bag of yours." Her eyes darted between his face, her eyes big with curiosity. "Whatcha trafficking?"

He looked down at the bag in his hand. "This," he said raising it to eyelevel, "is a secret till it's time for dessert. And the bag is sealed, so there's no peaking until it's time. They need to go in the fridge."

Her pout was adorable and he almost gave in, but he did not want to miss the look on her face when he presented her with the delicious treat.

"Come on. I'll show you the way to the kitchen," she relented, dragging him by hand on the carpeted floor of the lounge to the dark hardwood floors of the kitchen.

"Nice kitchen," he commented. He peered at the mass of dirty dishes in the sink and remnants of ingredients still scattered all over the place.

"Thanks. Sorry for the mess though. I'm not exactly the tidiest cook. I get the food done, but I leave a hot mess all over the place." She grabbed the package from his hand, eyed it once more and put it in the fridge.

"Careful with those," he said. "They need to stay upright so they still look pretty by the time we eat them."

"Are you sure I can't take a peek?" She looked at him with her lashes half lowered, attempting to flirt with him. He stared at her with eyes wide open, probably trying to figure out if she's really flirting or just pulling his leg.

"Relax!" she said. "I promise I won't touch that bag. I'll try and curb my curiosity till we're ready to have them."

She turned back towards the contents of the fridge, perusing the chilled bottles in the door.

"Would you like anything to drink?" she asked over her shoulder. Then turned around holding several bottles at their necks between her fingers.

"We've got water, fizzy drinks, beer and if you're feeling especially fancy, there's white or red in there too." She threw her head backwards indicating the chilled wine in the door.

He pried a bottle from her fingers. "Beer's good."

Bella placed the rest of the bottles back in to the fridge, keeping a bottle of apple soda out for herself. She took a tall glass from the counter and added some ice to her drink.

"Dinner is almost ready," she said. "Hope you don't mind, but I thought we could eat on the porch out back? It's such a nice night out."

"Sounds good." He shrugged off his jacket and hung it on the back of the barstool. Taking a quick swig of his cold beer he followed her outside through the backdoor from the kitchen.

He watched her as she stepped outside and took position against the post that framed the steps leading into her small garden. The tangerine glimmer of the setting sun, cast a beautiful glow over her exposed skin. He'd never seen her wearing so little, though the dress was pretty decent under normal circumstances. But in his eyes, the little skin she was exposing, was just downright sinful. He just now realized that he'd only seen Bella in jeans, trousers and pantsuits. Though she did look fantastic in anything she wore, he had to admit that the dress rendered him speechless. So far he'd barely been able to utter a word and thankfully she hadn't noticed. He could not stop staring at her and only spoke briefly when she spoke to him directly.

He slid into the chair next to the small dining table for two that had already been adorned with napkins and cutlery and a spray of wild flowers he could only assume came from her garden. He'd noticed her garden in the back immediately. There were wild flowers everywhere. The garden wasn't very structured and controlled, but it had it's own natural beauty. Most of the garden was mostly just lawn, but it was beautifully divided by an organic line that held little in the way of symmetry, but gave over to the natural flow of all things growing. The array of flowers ranged from pansies and daisies to baby's breath and several variations of poppies. It all lead towards the back of the garden where a large maple nestled in the corner of the garden. The branches bowed over the garden like a large umbrella providing ample shade for the chairs and small table similar to the one he was sitting at.

"You've got a really nice garden," he finally managed to say something.

Bella looked over the space and sighed with a satisfied smile. "Especially nice because it takes so little to maintain."

"You mean you did this all by yourself?" The interest peaked in his eyes as he got up to stand against the opposite post across from her.

He leaned against the post taking another swig of his almost empty beer. Bella in turn leaned with her back against her post so she could face Edward more comfortably.

"I did have a landscaping friend come in and start up the basics for me. I really didn't know what exactly I wanted in a garden except that it had to be uncomplicated and easy to keep. And this is the result." She waved her hand nonchalantly in the direction of her backyard. "I barely have to lift a finger. I simply have to hose it down regularly, get rid of the odd weed or two and keep the grass short. It's a lazy gardeners dream."

"Well, it is beautiful and it suits you perfectly."

Bella directed a lazy smile at him and slowly slid down, taking a seat on the first step. Setting her glass down next her, she folded her arms on her legs and rested her chin in her lap, staring out into her garden. She listened for the sounds of the little night time crickets making their way out and creating the kind of music only nature can perfect. She could feel Edward take a seat next to her and revelled at his touch. Elbow to elbow and knee to knee. It just about made her tingle in all the right places.

She looked at him sideways watching him swallow another sip.

"Just waiting for the timer to go off, then the chicken should be ready. You want another drink?"

"No. I'm good. I like waiting with you." He smiled down at her and gently nudged her with his elbow.

The settled into a comfortable silence, watching the day turn for dusk to night.

**Hmmmm.. So that's chapter 7 for you. It's not short, but it felt like it. I guess cause not much is happening in this one… Though did anyone expect Edward to have a son he was keeping from Bella? Guess we'll have to wait and see how Bella takes the news. **

**Happy reading and PLEASE review! I'd really like that. **


	8. Chapter 8

**It's been a busy week. Tons of work to do and still not done. Staying late at the office will probably be my life for the next couple of weeks still. It's nothing too crazy, but I not a fan of being alone in the office. It gets kinda creepy.**

**Anyway, still no new reviews, but one person did put my story on alert this week. So it's not being completely ignored.**

**On with the story though.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Twilight related, wish I did though.**

CHAPTER EIGHT

"Oh my God! This was _so _good!" Edward copied an expression similar to that of Bella's when she'd taken her first bit at _Poca Bellezza. _He picked the last piece of the rosemary and garlic chicken, dipping it into the gravy and just before he took that bite, he took a second to drink in the wonderful aroma of the dimming spices. The flavours were downright intoxicating. He could say with absolute certainty that this was one of the best meals he'd ever had. It was by no means something you'd get at a five star hotel, but it was honest-to-God wholesome comfort food!

"You've outdone yourself." Her dimpled smile made him continue singing her praises. "If you weren't doing anything else, I'd encourage you to be a chef, but then I think you're kind of person that makes her best meals for the people you care about, not strangers. Am I right?"

Bella's smile deepened along with a very unwelcome blush. She like cooking for friends and family but she just realised that her _loved _cooking for Edward. Her meal had been simple enough; just oven baked chicken smothered in lemon juice and some light spices, then topped with a light rosemary and garlic gravy. She's added some steamed vegetables and toasted potatoes and peppers on the side and a very light salad, but Edward scoffed down his meal like a hungry man who hadn't seen a proper meal in days. She enjoyed watching him eat.

"Chicken, veg and roasted potatoes is hardly cause for such praise, Edward." She reigned in her gloating mood and replaced it with modesty.

"No, seriously, this was one of the best meals I've had in a long time! I'm really glad you suggested this." He poured himself another glass of wine and tilted the bottle in her direction indicating whether he should top her up too. She nodded her head and he filled her glass about half way. He picked up his own glass, taking a generous sip and leaned back into his chair all the while looking at her with hooded eyes.

"You won't be able to get rid of me now you know." He winked at her. "You'll find me on your doorstep for supper just about every night. No more restaurants for us! You cook the kind of meal that warms a man's heart and not just his stomach."

A chuckle escaped his lips. "You're stuck with me now!"

Bella stared at him throughout his little speech. She was still stuck at the moment when he'd winked at her. That simple act pared with that signature grin of his, nearly had her in a puddle at his feet. For some reason unbeknownst to her, she could actually hold herself together and pretend that the man sitting across from her was not unravelling her bit by bit.

"I'm just going to say thank you and you're most welcome for supper anytime you like." She smiled and took a sip from her wine, hoping the cool liquid helped her somehow keep it together and not start blubbering like some foolish girl with a big crush.

Bella found that Edward was turning exactly to be the kind of man that she secretly had been yearning for. Sure she lived her life like she didn't need a man and she was good at being alone, but she knew how lonely it could get. Her friends had people they loved to go home to, children to tuck into bed; she had a quiet home and an empty bed at the end of the day. She wouldn't tell a soul that she yearned for a family of her own, a husband that adored her, whom she could adore, love and respect in return. She yearned for children. Sure she got a little grossed out when they spit things up or she had to change a diaper, but that didn't stop her from loving the gurgle of laughter only a baby could make or the squeaky clean smell of baby powder and shampoo after a bath. She was very sure that she would get over all her squeamish reactions to some things baby related when it was a baby of her own. _That _ made all the difference. Her own family.

She could easily see Edward in that role. Ok, so maybe she was getting a little ahead of herself. They'd only been on a few dates after al, but she just couldn't kick the feeling that Edward was very close to _it_. If she had to ask Alice or even her parents, they would tell her that when you found someone you loved, you just knew. They wouldn't promise that it would be easy, but once you _just knew, _it made the decision to work at a relationship easier than not knowing and not willing to give it a try.

Looking at Edward, she knew she should give it a try. Give _them _ a try. She decided then and there that she'd see this through to the end and see where it took them. Hopefully to a good place. She mentally dumped her insecurities, doubts and questions in a dark corner of her mind and faced him with a smile.

"So, what's for dessert anyway?"

"Hmmm? Oh.. Uhm…" Apparently he too had been in deep thought. His blinked a couple of times as if drawing his thoughts together as he obviously couldn't muster a simple response just now. "Oh, how about we clear this table first and move things indoors. It's getting kind of chilly out here now."

They balanced as many things as they could on top of each other and placed everything in the centre of the island. It seemed to be the only surface left in the kitchen that didn't have a mass of dishes covering it. Though, the new pile of dishes quickly changed that.

"Want me to help you clean here first?" Edward suggested. "I don't want to leave you with a dirty kitchen when you made that wonderful meal for me. It's only fair I help clean up."

He found Bella frowning at him, but the frown was just as soon replaced with a quirky smile.

"Remind me to send your parents something nice, especially your mom." She laughed at the perplexed expression on his face as she said that. "I want to thank them for raising their son to be such a gentleman. Believe me, I hate doing dishes, so I'm not even going to pretend to protest. Come," she motioned him to the sink. "Let's get those hands of yours wet."

Edwards chuckle came easily. He just loved how things were so easy between them. He hoped that when he told her about Elliot later on, that she would be as accepting of him having a son and not be too upset that he'd been keeping it from her. But he was going to butter her up with dessert first before he even broached that subject. He gave her a gentle nudge and shoved a drying rag into her small hands. They proceeded to clean the kitchen with an easy camaraderie.

Bella sat waiting for Edward on her couch while he went to get dessert ready. She tucked her feet under her and snuggled deeper into the couch after puffing the pillows against the armrest. They were going to watch a movie with dessert. She set the DVD on pause. She did not want to watch the trailers without him.

Bella wondered what he had in store for dessert. He'd been so secretive about it all night. Every time she made her way to the fridge to put away leftovers or get drinks, he'd follow her right up to it. He didn't trust her _not _ to sneak a peak. Apparently the sparkle in her eyes was a clear sign of mischief and sneaky calculations. The thought made her huff indignantly.

"Ok, dessert coming up!"

She turned her head as she heard him coming back into the family room. He had both his hands behind his back, obviously hiding her treat from her.

"Close your eyes," he said. She did as she was told. She could feel him come right up to her and experienced a brief whiff of something sweet. She wiggled her nose, sniffing a little harder to place the smell. Obviously it was the dessert, but she couldn't exactly place the aroma. Something biscuity? She sniffed a little harder. It kind of reminded her of those cookies they had a while back.

"Can I open my eyes?"

"Yeah. Sure, go ahead."

She found him hunched down in front of her, balancing his body on the balls of his feet. He looked so eager to please, that crooked grin of his making her heart melt! He was holding up the dessert right under her nose. She drew her eyes away from his face and took a look at what he'd been keeping secret the entire evening.

Right in the centre of the plate was a little layered cake, maybe cheesecake. It was beautifully made and she doubted he made it himself. The base of it was a crust of cookie crumble. She instinctively knew it was those honey and almond cookies that formed part of the base. The next layer was the pure whiteness of cheesecake. It was topped with another layer of cookie crumble and cheesecake yet again and at the very top of the little cake was a thin layer of some fruit pulp and syrup. It dribbled down the edges of the cake, creating an utterly delicious sight. She was almost too afraid to the destroy the beautiful creation by eating it.

"Had any help with this?" she asked glancing back at him.

His face flushed for a second and he guiltily avoided eye contact with her. "I have to admit that I made a few calls. It helps to know people," he laughed. "Go on. Try it."

He held up a dessert spoon in his other hand. She reached for both the spoon and the dessert, settling the plate on the armrest of the couch. From the corner of her eye she watched him settle down next to her, his own dessert balanced on his lap. He attacked the sweet cake with gusto completely oblivious that she was watching him intently. Bella looked down at her own plate and tentatively scooped a little bit of every layer onto her spoon. As soon as she closed her mouth around the spoon, the flavours exploded inside her mouth and the room was immediately met with a series of moans. This in turn made Edward look at her.

The sounds immediately took him back to the first he heard her moan like that when she ate dessert. This was exactly the effect he was hoping for when he'd ordered the dessert from _The_ _Java Bean, _where they had first met.What he did not expect however is that his arousal would be so instantaneous. He groaned slightly and pushed the last morsel of his cake away from him on the coffee table in front of him. In the same action, he grabbed the DVD remote and pressed play. He hoped that watching the movie would distract him from listening to Bella. She was thoroughly enjoying that cake and to tell the truth he wanted to enjoy her just as much. Instead he concentrated harder on watching the forthcoming attractions and tried to make mental notes of which movies he wanted to see in future. His attention however was short lived. Every time Bella elicited a quiet moan, his gut would react with an intense flip and then warm its way down to his crotch. That, he decided was not good, especially when he wanted to be a gentleman about them reaching the next level of intimacy and he needed to keep a clear head. He did after all have a good reason for coming here tonight. To talk about Elliot. Listening to her though, put any serious thoughts right at the back of his mind. He shifted uncomfortably on his side of the couch and mouthed a silent prayer that she'd finish her dessert soon. _Right now would be better than soon _ he thought as the trailers finished and the movie started, a comedy of sorts. The television screen was the only thing he'd be focusing on now.

Thirty minutes or so into the movie he felt a slight bump against his arm. Looking down, he found Bella sitting right next to him nudging him with her shoulder.

"What's up with you?" she asked with slight frown. "You ok?"

"Hmmm?"

"We've been watching the movie for over a half hour now already and while I've been embarrassingly snorting through the jokes, yet you hardly batted an eye!" She grabbed the remote in front of him and pressed pause. "What's up with that?"

"Sorry," he grunted in reply. "I guess I just have a few things on my mind."

"Like what?"

He looked down at her. She had angled her body towards him and was staring at him intently. She expected an answer. He realised that if he told her about Elliot right now, he'd most likely ruin the evening. Though their meal had been casual, their ease with each other had been comfortable and romantic and dessert had certainly taken his physical attraction for her up a notch. If he was going to be honest with her about his boy, then he need to do it upfront, not spend a whole evening like a couple that have been together for ages. He shouldn't butter her up with romance and sweet things and then drop the bomb. No, tonight was not the time for that particular conversation.

She nudged him again, one of her brows rising in a question. Her face turned up towards him, the light of the television bouncing off her face, giving her skin a peachy glow. He had the sudden urge to kiss her, which brought him back to those other feelings he'd been trying to avoid for the last forty five minutes. He wanted to touch her and the way she was looking at him now, well… he just did not think that he could resist again.

"Would you believe me if I said it was you?" he murmured softly.

An instant flush painted her cheeks a brighter hue of pink. She blinked a few times, her dark lashes rapidly fanning her cheeks while her lips parted slightly, forming a surprised 'oh'.

"What could I possibly have done to keep your mind so occupied?" Her words barely came out in a whisper.

"Everything," he whispered back. Her answering frown encouraged him to continue. "I think about you all the time. When I saw you tonight in this dress…" He tugged on the waist of the garment that clung to her body. "It's the first time I've seen you wear one. You took my breath away and I'm still struggling to keep it together!"

"Oh!" It was still the only syllable Bella could get out.

She simply watched as Edward repeated an action he did the first time he'd kissed her. He cupped his hand to the side of her face, while his other hand snaked around her waist and drew her closer to him. His thumb caressed her lower lip, causing her to draw in a long breath of air. Bella watched Edward's lips as he spoke. She could see his lips moving, but her mind was fogged with desire and she barely heard a word he was saying. Bits and pieces of his little speech made their way to her subconscious; something about how she was everything he never knew he wanted, how her mind and her warm heart was equally as attractive as her body was to him. She knew that if she could manage to say anything right then, she would tell him those exact things, that she's never been so enamoured by a man as she was by him, but most importantly she just wanted him to shut up and kiss her already!

"Anthony?" she said placing a fingertip to his lips. "As much as I love listening to you singing my praises, I'd like it very much if you rather kissed me." Her face immediately fired up another two shades of red, a deep, fiery and embarrassing red.

She was about to pull away from and had mentally started putting the words together to tell him he should ignore her, when he held on to her just a little bit tighter and did as he was told. His kiss was gentle and teasing and only the slightest pressure on her lips. It took but another second for her to snake her hands behind his neck and pull him even closer. She felt the tip of his tongue seeking entrance to her mouth and she gladly parted her lips for him. Traces of almond and a hint of syrup played with her taste buds. He groaned into her mouth, his chest vibrating with the low rumble of the noise. Her lips parted further and a low moan escaped when she felt his hand leave her face, trail down her neck and softly grazed the side of her breast. His touch enflamed her and she was afraid of unravelling. His hand came to rest on her hip and fluttered over her bottom, resting but a moment before indulging in a slight squeeze. For a second she could see them in her minds eye, having a heavy make out session on the couch like two hormone crazed teenagers. She quickly suppressed a giggle and smiled against his mouth when he took a moment to come up for air.

"Beautiful," he murmured against her lips. His lips moved from hers to her jaw, her neck, her collarbone, planting soft little kisses as he went lower and lower. He hovered over a little beauty spot that just about peaked out from the neckline of the dress. He gently pressed his lips to that little spot and her breath hitched in her throat at the contact.

"So soft." His whispers tickled her skin and intensified the heat inside of her. He quickly brought his lips back to hers and slowly leaned into her. She felt herself moving backwards and realised he was supporting her back while lowering her to the couch. She shifted slightly, making space for him on the length of the couch, while her feet dangled awkwardly off the side of it. She vaguely heard more whispers floating through to her hazy mind. The tingles in her body became desire infused flames and she struggled to hold herself together. Then she felt his hand grab her by the hip and then her leg, pulling her further up on the couch so that her legs, instead of dangling off the couch, was now entwined with his own. While his mouth ravaged hers, his fingers splayed over her right calf, pulling her leg into a bend, then continued a deliriously slow caress on the back of her knee, which immediately caused her body to arch into his!

She swiftly moved her hands from his neck to his hair and spread her fingers in the bronze tangled mess. When he ground his body into hers, trying to get so much closer than they already were and she felt his desire pressing into her hip, she released a guttural moan and her fingers tightened around the grip in his hair. She pulled at him, clawing at him as he was clawing at her. Somewhere between their urgent kisses and erotic ministrations, both her dress and his shirt had come undone. In the back of her mind she heard the distinct sound of a button ripping from fabric and hit the coffee table with a soft clang. She had no idea if it were from her dress or his shirt, but both garments hung in loose disarray.

When his hand started pulling on the lacy white straps of her bra, she knew this was going a step too far. They were not ready for this. She was by no means innocent, but she did not jump into bed with a guy when they had no sense of commitment between them. They've been on quite a few dates now already and in most people's eyes, that pretty much made them a couple, but she knew waiting was best. For one it made it all worth it and two, she wanted to be sure. She wanted to be sure that when she gave herself to him, that she wouldn't regret it the next morning and she had a feeling if she just let go now, she'd be giving herself a good talking to the next morning. Edward was a great guy. He proved that over and over again, but she couldn't let the stars in her eyes cloud her ideas of sexual responsibility. She could stand to wait. Even if her body were screaming at her right now to just go for it.

She pulled her lips from his and threw her head back gasping for air. As she tried to normalise her breathing, she caressed his scalp where she'd been pulling his hair in the _throws of passion _so to speak.

"This is as far as we go, isn't it?" he asked with his face in the crook of her neck. His laboured breathing matched her own until their rapid pace slowed down and brought them both back to earth.

"Yeah, sorry," she whispered. She felt him shuffle and move about until he was on his side with her gently cradled in the crook of his arm. "It's not that I don't want to…"

He quickly interrupted her. "No, it's ok. You don't have to explain yourself."

"Why are you always so understanding?" she whispered. "I bet any other man would be downright ticked off right now."

"Don't forget…" he said rubbing her back in small circles, "I was raised by the kind of woman who taught me to respect a lady's wishes." He threw his other arm around her and hugged her closer.

"I'll wait as long as you need me to wait," he whispered.

Bella propped herself up on one arm and looked him squarely in the eye. She searched his face for any signs of doubt in his words, but found none. He really meant what he said. He really was an honest-to-god-genuine nice guy and she had him all to herself.

"You're perfect, you know." She gave him a quick kiss. She laid back down, her head on his shoulder. Taking a deep breath, she decided just to enjoy the moment till it ended.

**Now how hot was that? I was totally feeling Bella at that moment. Not sure I myself would have had the strength to say no like that. I mean.. it's not everyday that you have **_**the **_**Edward playing tonsil hockey with you right.**

**What did you think? PLEASE review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ok. So I know I did not update the story last week. Life was kinda of catching up with me and I just didn't get the time, but I have a free moment today. This chapter will be rather short, but I hope still as enjoyable as the previous ones have been**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Twilight related, even though I'd like to.**

CHAPTER NINE

Edward pulled up on his parents drive, put his car in park and steadily took the steps up to the ornate front door and let himself in without knocking. The house was unusually quiet. He expected to hear the television blaring in the family room, his dad watching a game or even his sister's loud rock music coming from her room, but he heard nothing. He however did hear his mother tinkering away in the kitchen probably cooking for an army when in fact it was just their family of four. He found her there, quietly stirring a pot of home made tomato pasta sauce. The delicious smell instantly made him hungry for supper tonight.

It wasn't often that he came around to his parents anymore. Mostly he was too busy. Work took up a lot of his time. Trying to sort things out with Vicky took even more time and now with Bella in his life, his parents had taken a bit of a backseat. He missed his mother and he felt guilty for shutting them out sometimes.

"Hey Mom," he said sneaking a quick kiss before she noticed him. He had to chuckle when she fumbled with the large spoon in her hands, as his greeting scared her.

"Oh my gosh!" she said clutching her heart. "You can't scare an old woman like that child!" She waved the spoon in front of him in a no-nonsense action.

"You're hardly an old woman mom." he took the spoon from her and quickly took a taste of the sauce. His throat hummed appreciatively when he tasted the spicy sweetness.

"Good stuff mom."

She playfully slapped him on his upper arm and grabbed the spoon again. "People still have to eat that you know."

She nudged him away from the stove, turning her attention to the pot again.

"Get me another spoon from the drawer there," she said without looking at him.

He silent handed her a clean one and in the same motion took the first one and dumped it in the sink. Settling himself at the kitchen table, he snatched a tomato wedge from the cutting board that he assumed she was using for the salad.

"Need any help?" he asked.

She immediately turned to him, suspicion apparent in her face. "Since when do you offer to help in the kitchen? You usually turn up right before I serve up."

He deliberately broke eye contact with her and pretended to find the tree just outside the kitchen window very interesting. "I'm just hungry Mom" he said munching away at another tomato wedge.

"I figured I'd help speed things along." He turned back to her and gave her that crooked smile of his that he knew worked so well on her. "Anyway, where's dad and Bree? I'm not used to the house being so quiet."

"Your dad went to pick your sister up at a friends."

"How's the brat doing anyway?"

"Hey! You promised you'd try to be nicer to your sister from now on." She turned the heat low on the sauce to simmer and then heated a pot of water for the pasta. "I don't know where the change of attitude came from, but you better keep it." Her voice softened a little bit, the trace of humour leaving her tone.

'Besides, you know that Bree's been trying too. The two of you trying to get along means the world to me sweetheart. No mother likes seeing her two favourite kids fighting."

"We're your only two kids mom," he grimaced embarrassingly.

She chuckled sweetly and gave him a light kiss on his forehead. "That's why you're my favourites sweetie! Now seeing that you're so eager to help, wash the greens for the salad you're eating there!"

She shoved a packet of rocket leaves in his hands along with a stainless steel bowl. She turned back to the heating pot adding a dash of oil; salt; a good handful of pasta, then quickly took a seat next to him on the long side of the rectangular table. They made a quiet job of making the salad together, though his job was simply to tear the large leaves after he'd washed them and an even simpler tasking of handing his mother other ingredients to the salad such as tomatoes, onions, some roasted nuts and small bowl of crispy bacon. He hadn't spent so much time in the kitchen with his mother since he was a young child. He'd forgotten how calming it was, gave him time to think. He really should come around here more often.

"So are you going to tell me who she is?" his mother asked just as he popped a roasted peanut into his mouth. Shocked at the question, his mouth gaped and the nut hit the back of his throat. He nearly choked on it and thumped his own chest with his fist to clear his throat. When he looked at her she was still cutting away at some nuts into smaller bits, pretending not to notice his discomfort.

"I don't know what you're talking about Mom." He hated his mother's intuition! He could never keep anything from her or tell a lie. She always knew.

"Honey…" She set down her cutting knife, wiped her hands and turned to him. She was never one to waver from direct eye contact. It made him nervous. "You used to spend at least two nights a week with us. And _those _were the nights you were not at work or with Elliot. I know you have little time for anything else. And when you couldn't make it here, you at least picked up the phone and kept us up to date. So… I'm thinking that there must be a woman."

He simply stared at her. He attempted to open his mouth and say something, something close to a lie. But she kept looking at him expectantly. They weren't leaving this kitchen table until she had the answer she wanted.

"I'm a housewife you know," she said. "I've got all night, unlike some people that have to be at work tomorrow."

"You don't play fair," he groaned. "Her name's Bella. Isabella Swan. I actually have to thank Bree for meeting her.'

"Is that so?" Her eyes twinkled with excitement. She noticed a change in her son the past few weeks, when she actually had a chance to spend time with him. He seemed happier, more relaxed, like he gathered enough strength to tackle problems like Victoria, the courts and work. For a while she'd been worried that he'd been scarred by his relationship with his ex-wife, that it made him afraid to love again. His problems may not have evaporated, but his stride was lighter and mostly his attitude to his sister had changed a lot. She was sure it could only be a woman. She just hoped that this time he chose right. She loved her grandson and was grateful for Victoria for bringing him into this world and making his grandparents lives so much richer. But the woman had them all fooled. They all fell for her charm and never knew she had a greedy and calculating mind behind her sweet demeanour.

"Ya Mom," he continued. "Bella was the woman from the other car that Bree knocked into."

"You don't say." She smiled broadly.

"I'm not going to say more than that she's the kind of girl I _should _bring home to meet you Mom."

If her smile could grow any wider, he'd be thoroughly surprised. He liked making his mamma happy. Bella and his mother would get along well. He just knew that. His father would silently accept her and given time, even Bree would grow to like Bella. He had a feeling that Bella was the bridge that would connect Bree with them again. He couldn't wait to introduce Bella to them, but it was a little bit too soon for the meet-the-parents date.

"And when do we get to meet her?" His mom turned back to making the salad as she asked the question.

"Soon Mom. Soon. But first I've got to tell her about Elliot."

The chopping stopped. "Tell her about Elliot?" she asked without looking at him.

"You know how Vicky gets when I start dating someone new Mom. I don't want to drag Bella into this custody mess if I wasn't sure that I wanted her in my life long term. It wouldn't be fair to her or to us for that kind emotional investment if it wasn't going to work."

"I guess you're right about Victoria. As soon as she finds out about your friend, she wouldn't make this easy on her or you. Both of you have to be sure that you're going fight for this."

"I know she cares Mom and I know she'd love Elliot. I have a feeling she'd just be angry at me for keeping Elliot from her, more than anything else."

"Then I guess you better do something to remedy that before it's too late?"

"I will. I'm telling her at lunch tomorrow," he said leaning over and giving her a peck on the cheek. "I hear the garage. Must be Dad and Bree. I'll go open the door for them so long."

He exited the kitchen and could feel his mother's gaze on him. He was sure she wanted more from him. She probably wanted to know every little detail about Bella, but he wasn't quite ready yet. After he told Bella about Vicky and Elliot and they were still on good footing with each other, then he'd let her in.

"Hey Dad," he said as he found his father and sister in the garage getting out of the car. His father greeted him with a grunt and gave him a quick nudge, which in 'dad' terms meant a hug. He turned to his sister, who was already making her way up the drive towards the front door.

"Hello to you too squirt," he hollered from behind her as he lowered the garage door. He watched his sister make sure their father wasn't watching when she flipped him the finger with a smirk on her face. He cocked his eyebrow at her and smiled. He knew she didn't really mean it that way. She just wanted to retain some of the animosity they had a while back before he started 'talking to her' and not 'over her'. "Yeah, love you too Bree."

He secured the lock on the garage door and made his way back into the house. As he stepped into the foyer, he heard the familiar sounds he'd been expecting when he first dropped in. His dad immediately made himself comfortable on the couch and had the football game on loud. One would swear that his father was hard of hearing, but really the old man just wanted to drown out the noise of Bree's music coming from the room above. Edward tilted his head listening for Bree's rock music, but funny enough he didn't hear a thing. For a second a frown painted his forehead at the absence of the noise and when looking at his dad again, he realised that his father must turn on the volume more out of habit than necessity.

He walked back to the kitchen to find out if there was anything else he could do for his mother. As he passed the doorway to the dining room, he detected some movement from the corner of his eye. He ducked his head into the room and found Bree happily humming to herself while setting the table for dinner. _That's a first, _ he thought. Bree was never one to willingly set the table and humming while doing it was even more of a surprise. He leaned against the doorframe watching her while she worked. He realised his sister could be quite pretty if she allowed herself to be. If you looked past the baggy clothes and the hair that hung too low in her face, you'd see that she looked much like their mother. And Edward considered his mother to be a beautiful woman. For a second his mind drifted back to that conversation he and Bella had a while back regarding girls and womanhood. His sister was almost seventeen years old and he knew Bella was right when she said that some girls at that age was stuck between being a kid and an adult and it was probably harder for Bree to throw being a typical girl into the mix as well. Bella said it would take time for Bree to just grow into herself.

Edward walked to the table, taking some of the napkins from her hands. Bree gasped in surprise, but when she realised it was only her annoying big brother, she simply turned back to the sideboard and grabbed some glasses. Edward playfully nudged against her, as if to say "How ya doing kid?". It took but only a few seconds when he felt her responding nudge. He clearly read the "I'm ok and thanks for asking" in the gesture. He smiled knowing that things might just turn out to be ok between them.

**So that's chapter 9. What do you think? Really you're allowed to review after reading. I'd like it if you did. **

**It's shot but sweet**


	10. Chapter 10

**Ok so I know this chapter is looooooooong overdue. I have to apologise, but I haven't been feeling the creative juices at all the past few weeks. The weather is overcast kind of sullen and it's the perfect excuse to stay in bed I think. And while I'm doing that I figured I'd get another chapter up. For those that read this. I thank you… **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing Twilight related, even though I'd like to**

CHAPTER TEN

Bella watched Edward as he made his way inside the little bistro on the corner of Market street. She felt downright proud for being seen with a man like him. Not only because he was one of the most beautiful people she knew, but he was also kind and generous and had a warmth about him that just drew people in. You couldn't help but want to be around him all the time. His presence in her life made her quite giddy with delight. He'd called her the night before asking her to meet him for lunch. They'd both arrived just after twelve thirty and immediately made their way to the quaint tables for two with their jolly umbrellas in front of the bistro.

"Hi, I'm Shawna, Your waitress," a tiny little thing barely out of her teens had greeted them. "Can I get you anything to drink while you think about your order?"

"Just a water and lime for me thanks," Bella answered her.

The girl then turned to Edward and an even bigger smile painted her little face.

"What about you sir?"

She had clearly been trying to make Edward notice her. She gave him a brilliant smile and then completely turned her back to Bella. From behind her Bella watched the girl flick her hair backwards, a clear sign at her attempt to flirt with a man that was with another woman. Bella hadn't even bothered getting jealous. There just wasn't any point to it. The waitress was but a slip of a girl and frankly Bella thought she'd probably be thinking of doing the same thing if she were in her shoes. But right now she was perfectly happy to be in her own shoes.

She stifled a giggle as she watched Edward order a light beer. He barely noticed the girl outside of her waitressing capabilities, but him being the well mannered man that he was, had turned towards the girl and gave her a generous display of his smile and his charm when he thanked her. Bella giggled as the girl was momentarily caught off guard by his beaming smile. She'd watched her turn from them while still looking at Edward. With her gaze still trained on him she'd stumbled into the chair behind her. Her face had flushed beet red, very much like Bella's own when she was embarrassed. She'd quickly made her way inside the bistro to go and collect their order.

They had immediately fallen into an easy conversation filled with typical how-are-you and how-was-your-day. The chit chat was easy and comfortable and it wasn't too long when the little waitress had returned with a blush that still tainted her face. This time however the girl had avoided looking at Edward and instead concentrated on walking away from them without taking a tumble.

It was then that Anthony had excused himself to go to the gents and Bella was left to her own devices for a few minutes. She was thinking about every wonderful moment with Edward leading up to that moment. When he made her laugh, the horrible moments when he made her blush, which she thought he did quite deliberately. She especially loved those moments when he kissed her so vehemently she thought that her ability to stay upright had completely failed her. The thought alone made her blush.

"He won't stay with you for long you know." The voice startled Bella out of her reverie.

She turned towards the direction the voice came from, but the blinding sun behind the woman made her flinch. She squinted her eyes to get a better look at the woman and found her beautiful enough to make Bella feel a stab of jealousy. The woman's auburn hair was meticulously coifed atop her head, not a strand out of place. She stepped into the shade, giving Bella an opportunity to get a better look at her. She grimaced as she realised just how beautiful the woman really was. She assessed her flawlessly golden skin, the fine features and the painted rosebud mouth with a sense of dread in her stomach. What could a beautiful woman such as her possibly have to say to Bella? She looked into the woman's light grey eyes and what she found made her squirm in her seat ever so slightly.

"He won't stay with you for long," the woman repeated herself. She looked Bella squarely in the eye, her gaze filled with disdain.

"Excuse me?" Bella asked. "Who are you?"

"I'm his… wife." She paused giving Bella a moment to take it in. "Well… his ex wife really."

Bella felt herself stuck in the moment. His wife? Ex wife. She stared blankly at the woman and knew without a doubt that she was telling the truth. Why would Edward keep something like this from her? What she loved most about their relationship was the fact that they could be so honest with each other. He wasn't a dishonest man, but this was huge. What possible reason could he have to hide this from her?

"I see he hasn't told you then." The woman's mouth pulled sideways in an attempt to smile, but it appeared to be more of a sneer than a smile. Her perfectly manicured hand reached out to Liz. "I'm Victoria Cullen."

Bella left her hand hinging in the air. "Why are you telling me this?"

Victoria took Edward's seat in across Bella, delicately crossing her legs, straightening her back with an air of confidence Bella knew she herself lacked right now.

"Well, I happened to see you and Eddie from across the street and I thought to myself that you don't seem like the kind of woman that would tolerate a man that gave no time to his son."

Bella's breath hitched in her throat. A son?

"Yes, a son," Victoria repeated. Bella realised she must have voiced the question out loud. "Elliot is nearly five years old and he hasn't seen his father in over four months."

Bella could only stare at her. She thought that if she said anything, she might lose her calm. She felt the disappointment in Edward or _Eddie _, as Victoria so intimately referred to him, rise up inside her belly. She could forgive anyone for almost anything, but a parent that thought themselves too busy to make time for their child, she didn't know if she could rationalise that. Her experience with her own father being so distant in her life made her aware of that ache early on in her life and she couldn't think why someone as kind and warm as Edward could subject his own child to that kind of behaviour. But what bothered her most is why he never told her that he'd been married and had a child? Why keep this from her. She eyed the woman, trying to find the doubt in her words, but as haughty as the woman was, Bella could tell she was being truthful.

"You should ask yourself what kind of man who says he supposedly loves his son, hasn't paid a single sent of child support the last 6 months?"

Bella could feel her disappointment grow and change into anger. She knew from friends that have been divorced with children, that men who did not pay child support, made it so much harder on the mother. Her own friend Allison had lived from month to month, scrimping and scraping money together to take care of her own little boy, simply because her ex husband thought she'd get by well enough without his financial support. It had taken Alli years of dragging David in and out of court before he'd finally settled and paid her a monthly stipend to help raise Adam in his absence. She couldn't fathom that _any _ reason would be good enough for Edward not to give his ex wife the financial support for their son. Bella didn't think that Victoria struggled where money was concerned, but it was Edwards's responsibility to do the right thing.

She knew that if she let this pass, just forgive Edward for omitting his marital and parental status and also for neglecting his duties as a father, then it would only lead to a rollercoaster of constant deceit and forgiveness. She knew that in most people if they kept one big secret to themselves, the likelihood was good that they had many others and had the smooth ability to manipulate and influence people and she was not going to allow Edward to be yet another man that got her with his charms and his smooth tongue. She felt a slight twinge of doubt at the thought. She didn't know Edward that well that she could say without a doubt that he wasn't that sort of man, but his lack of honesty now completely tore her trust in him. Suddenly she was very glad that they haven't crossed the line of intimacy yet. Her relief blanketed her yearning she felt for him. She couldn't let the physical attraction sway her.

She heard the chair scrape on the floor as Victoria got up. "Think well before you got too involved with a man that can't take care of his responsibilities."

Her advice came out more as a snide remark and the venom matched the ice in her eyes. Victoria didn't bother saying goodbye. She simply turned on her red heels and walked in the direction she came from.

Bella stared after her and wondered what the hell just happened.

Edward stepped out of the bistro with a smile on his face. He'd had a small run in with their little waitress as he'd exited the gents. She'd been so obviously gawking at him that she had yet again not noticed where she was going and had tripped on the legs of a chair. She flailed about for a second or two, but he'd caught her just before her face made and untimely greeting with the terracotta flooring. He still chuckled at the sight of her red face that almost matched the red in her flaming mane.

As he stepped into the sunlight, making his way towards Bella, he caught the familiar shine of auburn hair that made his stride falter. Along with his stride, his cheerful mood dropped to an immediate low. He peered past the colourful umbrellas, past the stony expression on Bella's face, and watched the slim figure of his ex wife has she practically skipped her way across the street. It could only mean one thing, that she'd gotten to Bella and the results of that conversation had put a skip in her stride. He didn't know how she knew they were going to be here. Maybe it was just bad luck that she had happen to come across them and his trip to the gents had just given her the perfect opportunity to taint Bella's opinion of him. He felt anger build up inside him, quite speedily, but that anger was quickly replaced with dread and worry as he saw Bella's face.

She didn't move as he sat down. She barely blinked. Simply stared at him. The only sign that she was feeling anything, was the laboured breathing. He was sure that she was holding in her anger and counting to ten, possibly a hundred.

"Is it true?" she finally asked.

"What did she say to you?" He reached over and tried to touch her hand resting on the table, trying to find a way to reassure her. But she wouldn't let him. She instantly pulled her hand away at his touch and instead gripped the mouth of her handbag in her lap.

"Is it true that you haven't seen your _son _ in nearly 5 months?" she murmured, her mouth pulled into a tight white line.

"Bella, it's not what you think. I can…"

"Just yes or no Edward," she interrupted him. "That's all I'm asking."

'Yes." His response was almost as silent. He knew he needed to explain to her what's really going on. Right now she believed in twisted version of the truth, bent to suit Victoria's own games. "You've got to understand Bella that circumstances aren't exactly rosy right now. I love my son and…''

"If you loved your son so much, then you'd do anything in your power to see him. A real man makes the time for their son Edward."

"You're right, but you don't know everything Bella." He felt the irritation at her judgement come forth and a little bit of it leaked through in his tone. She was judging him unfairly. Victoria had given her just enough information about the situation so that Bella could crucify him and from the looks of it, Bella was not going to let him come off so easily.

"You're right, I don't know everything," she responded icily as she stood up. "But I do know this. A child doesn't understand that a parent is absent because of work, or because he was late or because the traffic was horrible. They simply just know that a parent is not around. The reasons don't matter Edward."

She really just wanted to swing punch at him or even just allow herself to cry. As she tried to brush past him, he grabbed her by the wrist, preventing her from leaving.

"You're being unreasonable." He now voiced an anger that matched her exactly, but for complete opposite reasons.

She looked down at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"How could you keep something like this from me?" She tried to mask the croak in her voice. He looked at her face that only moments ago had been twisted with anger, but was now filled with disappointment and regret.

"You lied to me," she whispered.

"I never lied to you Bella."

"No, but keeping the truth from me is as good as lying." She pulled her wrist free from his hand and took a step back. "I thought you were the kind of man that was true and honest. I guess it was wrong of me to put you on such a pedestal, but in all honesty you led me there. It's what drew me to you. The honesty, openness, the immediate trust. But you obviously didn't think too much of me if you couldn't tell me that you'd been married and had a child."

She took another step further away from him, glancing around her to make sure other customers weren't aware of their argument.

"You must have a good reason for not having seen your son or paying the child support." She sighed and a slight tremor shook her shoulders. "I know the best part of you is the man I like so much Edward, but like I said, you obviously didn't think too much of me to tell me the truth. Didn't you think I could handle it? I don't know what the reasons are concerning your son, but when you're ready to be a man and make time for your son and when you're ready to share all of yourself with me, then you're welcome to call me again."

With that she swiftly turned on her heel and walked away from him. He watched her leave and the desire to call her back, hold her down an explain everything to her, was large and throbbing inside of him. But pride kept him glued to his seat. She had every reason to be angry at him, maybe not for the reasons Victoria gave her, but for the reason he himself gave her. His misguided reasons of being ready and making sure that she was the right woman before he let into the most intimate part of himself that involved his son. He should have told her from the beginning about Victoria and Elliot. She should have decided if she was going to stick around and fight for their possible relationship, but instead he took that choice away from her. _That's _what has her angry at him right now. Not so much his lack of a relationship with Elliot, but because he wasn't as open with her as he lead her to believe.

She'd practically told him everything about her. Her strained relationship with her parents, how they never really saw eye to eye. How they expected her to be something she wasn't and she wasn't willing to mould herself into the person they wanted her to be. How her independence and forthrightness was seen as insolence and ungratefulness instead. How she had to carve her own path in her life with very little support from her family. She loved them and she believed they loved her too, but she wasn't letting anyone making decisions for her, about her. She even told him about a boy she'd been seeing in her college years. They'd had an on and off relationship that never really went anywhere. How after years of the boy trying to bed her and finally succeeding, he hadn't bothered to speak to her after that again. That's where her fear of games in any sort of relationships started. She wasn't to be toyed with and didn't want to do that to someone else either. So to her honesty from the very beginning was a high priority.

He'd gone and ruined that.

She'd opened herself to him completely, letting him in on every part of her and he'd only given her so much because he didn't trust that she was ready to accept him and his life in it's entirety. If he'd been truthful with himself from the beginning, he would have realised that he'd been afraid. Afraid that as much as he valued Bella and could grow to love her, that maybe she in turn might not feel enough to have stuck around had she known early on. He'd been afraid that just maybe there might have been a chance she would have walked away because fighting for their new relationship so early on, would have been a little too much too soon.

Though now he felt kind of stupid. He knew that with the same conviction Bella fought for some unnamed child that would miss the presence of a father in his life, she would have fought just as hard for Edward to see his son, had she known why he was absent from his son's life.

He raised himself with difficulty, suddenly feeling like and old man, the weight of his problems too heavy for him. Reaching for his wallet he took out a fifty and placed it on the table for the waitress to retrieve. She could keep the change.

**So that was chapter ten. A little intense right? Does anyone think Bella overreacted just a tad?**

**I really would love your opinion. You're very welcome to review. Seriously, I don't mind!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Yeah I know I skipped updating this weekend, but I had a lovely lazy weekend, lots of time sitting in the sun. Summer has finally arrived in Southern Africa.**

**Anyway on with more important matters. I seriously have to thank -stormy315- For reviewing the last chapter. Lol, the only person that did, so I appreciate it even more. Also, I'm apologising upfront for any spelling and grammatical errors. I have no one reviewing my chapters, so I catch mistakes when I can.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Twilight related, though I wish I did.**

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Bella dropped herself into the drivers seat of her car and slumped her body forward, connecting her forehead noisily against the edge of the steering wheel. Her balled fists connected with the dash, repeated beating out an erratic rhythm that had nothing to do with music, but instead expressed her anger and disappointment. If anyone stood close enough, they would hear her mumbling. And if that person were to step even closer, they'd hear that the mumbling was simply one word repeated over and over.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" She breathed out through clenched teeth. She flung her body back against the seat. Closing her eyes, she just allowed herself to feel it. For that quiet moment she let the pain wrap around herself. _Why did I let him in? _she thought. She bit her lip, trying to stop herself from crying, but the moment was just a little bit too strong. Her eyes blurred as the corner of her eyes pricked with the tears. She blinked, trying to stop them from escaping, but the action only forced them out and rolled down the sides of her face. She smacked her own hand against her cheek, capturing the wetness before it rolled into her neck.

_This is what happens when you let someone get close, _ she mused inwardly. _You let them in and when they do something to disappoint you, the pain is so much bigger._

She wiped her face again, squeezing her eyes tightly, trying to make them stop. But they just would not let up. Through her blurred vision, she reached over to the passenger seat and fumbled with the zipper of her bag. Her fingers felt numb and she struggled keeping a firm grip on the zip puller. After several attempts she managed to get the bag open and pulled out her mobile. She immediately accessed her contacts and texted the one person she knew would make her feel better.

_I just had a fall out with Edward._

_It's big. Can I come over?_

_Bella_

She dropped the mobile in her lap and pulled down the visor to check her face in the mirror. Taking a look at her already blotchy face and puffy eyes, she simply sighed in dismay. She never had been someone that could keep a pretty face when she cried. She pulled out the small tube of cream she kept in her dash compartment and dabbed some on her face. She quickly massaged her face hoping that it help reduce that I've-just-been-crying face. She scrunched up her face and glared at herself as the reason she's been crying came to mind again. Just as she felt the corners of her eyes prick again, she felt her mobile come alive with an answering text as it vibrated in her lap. Flipping the visor back up again, she opened her inbox and read the message.

_Does it require tissues and ice cream?_

_Because I totally have that in stock._

_Door's open_

_Alice_

Bella breathed out a sigh of relief. She knew that Alice would make sense of the situation. If not that, at least she would allow Bella a good cry and the kind of support only a best friend could give. She chucked her mobile back in her bag, strapped herself in and started the car with a gentle purr. As she pulled the car into reverse, she briefly wondered if she might be overreacting. Should she have waited and allowed him to explain? But as quickly as the thought entered her mind, she let it drift away just as swiftly. She felt the sudden need to wallow a little bit in her pain and anger. She had every reason to be angry, though she felt more confused than anything else. Her grip on her anger was wound just as tightly as the grip on her disappointment and a vivid sense of failure. Failure in what, she wasn't exactly sure. The fact that she let him get so close? The fact that she fell for him almost instantly? Or maybe the fact that right now she was probably doing something very stupid. The latter brought her to the edge of panic and she momentarily wondered if she should just pull the car back in and go find him and let him talk.

Instead she set her mouth in a grim line and just drove.

Alice rested her lukewarm cup of tea on the high rise of her belly, absentmindedly rubbing her other hand in a circular motion on the side of her stomach as she watched Bella eat her second bowl of Double Dutch Chocolate ice cream. Bella had come flying into her house about forty-five minutes ago, mumbling incoherently about Edward, a wife and something to do with choices. At first she, Alice, had instantly gotten angry and mentally cursed Edward's backside to the deepest pits of hell. But then after about ten minutes and copious amounts of tissues, she'd finally got Bella to calm down and tell her the story from the beginning.

As Bella related the tale to her, she too experienced an instant dislike towards Edward's ex wife. From his admission to Bella's questions, she knew that his ex had been telling the truth, but unlike Bella, she wasn't emotionally involved and thus her opinions and thought processes were not clouded as her friends clearly was.

"Liz, honey…" she started. "Did you allow Edward to explain himself?" She was fully prepared for the impact of her friends glare. She's got to be careful how she phrased her sentences. Bella eyed her, her brows furrowed and her eyes slanted. She clearly wondered about the next few words that would be coming from Alice's mouth.

"Edward admitted that he hadn't seen his son in over four months?"

Bella simply nodded.

"Did you bother asking him why?" Alice said this slowly, as if the volume of the question would soften her being the voice of reason, instead of fighting the fight simply because Bella wanted her to.

"There's no point Al," Bella answered. "I asked him a question and he…"

"But did you let him explain?" Alice pressed. "You know there's more to a story than just yes or no Bella. You know Edward better than I do and from what you've told me, he's an honourable, honest and kind hearted man."

She placed her tea on the coffee table and folded her hands around one of Bella's.

"Do you really think that someone as warm as Edward would neglect his only son like that?"

"He admitted," Bella whined.

"No, Bell! That's all you allowed him to say. I'm sure he has reasons. It wouldn't surprise me if this ex wife of his was bending the truth just a little bit too much."

"What about the fact that he hasn't paid child support in months?"

Bella felt like she was reaching. She sensed a speck of reason in Alice's argument. She knew her friend was right. She never did give him a chance to explain himself. If he was truly the kind of person she got to know, then he had a perfectly good reason for it all. Yet all she allowed him was the answers that would only trap him into the convenient web of lies or half truths that his ex had spun.

"I'm sure he has a perfectly good reason for that too," Alice retorted. "You have no idea what the situation is between this Victoria woman and Edward. You took her words as the truth, when the person you know and care about is Edward and you didn't give him a chance."

Alice collected Bella's melted bowl of ice cream and her cold and almost empty cup of tea. She made her way to the kitchen, leaving her friend alone. She hoped Bella would take her words to heart and really think about how unfairly she'd treated Edward. She looked back and found Bella staring at her lap, a faraway look in her eyes, clearly deep in thought.

As Alice's soft footfalls made her return to the room known, Bella looked up and her expression spelled regret. Her eyes were drowning in worry.

"I've been downright stupid, haven't I?" Bella asked. She took a deep breath and exhaled the air with just as much effort. She attempted a second breath and it hitched in her throat. She quickly laid her palm against her chest to comfort herself and gently moved her hand in a circular motion. As if she could make herself breath more evenly like that.

"Not stupid, sweetheart." Alice rubbed her back in a comforting manner. "You were just shocked and hurt. I mean it's not exactly the kind of way a woman wants to find out that the man she cares for deeply, was hiding something as big as an ex wife and a child."

"I think that's what hurts more you know," Bella answered. Alice's frown made her continue. "I think what hurts most is that he hid everything from me. I mean this isn't something you should keep a secret. From the beginning we were all about honesty and being open and he chooses to keep this from me. Didn't he think that I could handle it?" She got up and started pacing barefoot on the lush carpet as she spoke. "It makes me wonder how long he was planning on keeping this from me? Why pursue me so hard and not share something this big with me. It's almost as if he was biding his time to see if we were serious enough before he let me in on that part of his life."

"Maybe he was waiting for the right time?"

Bella eyed Alice and raised her one brow in question.

"It's never _the right time _Al. By the time you spill the beans, the right time has long passed you and everything ends in a mess. This just proves it. He should have just said to me from the very beginning that he's been married before and has a child!"

"Does it bother you that he has a child. I know partners with ex's and children have added baggage and it takes a lot of work to make it all work, but does it make a difference to you?"

"That's just it," Bella responded with her hands in her hair, trying to make something of the mess atop her head caused by crying and digging her head into the couch pillows. "If he had told me from the beginning it wouldn't have mattered. I liked him well enough to still be willing to explore what was between us. But he waits until we're serious and instead his silence made it seem like he had to hide it. _That _or he was judging me to see if I was good enough to share that intimate a part of him." She huffed and with a hand on her hip she continued. "How come I'm good enough to want to sleep with, but not enough to want to share everything else with me?"

"You've slept with him?"

Alice's screech made Bella jump a little, waving her hands in protest. "No! No! No! But we came damned close a time or two. Anyway, that's not the point. The point is that he deems me good enough to try and get into my pants, but noooooooo I'm not good enough for him to tell me that he has an ex and a child. What's up with that?"

"Don't work yourself up like that Hun. Why don't you call him and talk things out. Clearly the wrong things were said and at the same time not enough was said."

_Please listen to me _Alice thought. She sighed in relief as she watched Bella reach for her mobile.

"Do you really think so?" Bella asked softly.

She was so confused. Her emotions were flying a mile a minute and she had no control over what she thought or felt. The one moment she was so angry she never wanted to speak to him again. And the next moment, like the one just a second ago, she switched a one eighty and just wanted to talk it over, because talking meant that there might just be a huge misunderstanding and that meant that she didn't have to let go of Edward. Her heart thumped noisily in her chest as she dialled his number. She stared at the screen for a second before she pressed the call button. Raising the phone to her ear, she waited.

It was barely a second on two when she lowered the phone again and chucked it on the couch carelessly, not watching whether it landed on the soft cushions or the floor.

"His phone is off," she said softly. "Maybe he doesn't want to speak to me."

"You can't say that. His phone could be off for any reason and it doesn't mean he knew you'd be calling and put it off."

"Alice, we just had a huge fight and his phone is off. That pretty much tells me he doesn't want to speak to me."

Bella flung herself backwards on the couch next to alice, landing with a heavy thud and a slight bounce. "His phone is never off, not during meetings, not when he's busy or sleeping, it doesn't matter. He always says that you never know what kind of emergency might crop up and he'd want to be available at all times."

"Why don't you try later again?"

"I'm not going to beg and run after him,' Bella answered through closed eyes. She took a few moments to collect herself and decided she needed a distraction. Something to stop her checking phone every five minutes. Something she knew she was prone to do. Pushing some enthusiasm forward, she jumped up and grabbed Alice by the hands, pulling her up with her. She faced her friend with a cheeky grin.

"Come on," she said. "Let's go see how you've ruined the baby's room with pink."

Alice watched Bella as they moved towards the incomplete nursery. She saw the smile on her friends face, but it didn't reach her eyes. She wondered that if Bella and Edward didn't sort themselves out, if she could intervene and make something happen? And just then, as if the baby heard her thoughts, it kicked as if to say that it's none of her business and they're adults and needed to sort things their own way.

"Yeah, yeah baby, I know I should butt out, but I don't like where this is going." she whispered to herself.

Edward sighed heavily as he stood in the lift waiting for it to reach his floor. He was on his way to see his lawyer about the upcoming date for the court case regarding custody of Elliot. According to his lawyer, Mr Jenks, he had a pretty good chance of getting majority custody taking into regard Victoria's behaviour. Partying and travelling the world rather than spending time with her son was rather frowned upon and it worked in his favour instead. The courts were always in favour if the mother being the main guardian, but Jenks felt quite strongly that for Edward it would be different.

He wished that he had Bella with him for some moral support. If things had gone his way this afternoon like he'd planned, she would have been here for him. He knew that. He knew her well enough that had she had all the _correct _information, she would have been at his side. He knew that she would love Elliot, simply because his boy was a part of him. He trusted the feeling inside him that told him so. Her reaction to a child neglected and the question of his own maturity and manliness, told him so. He could just kick himself for not having trusted that feeling sooner. He was already starting to question the reasons he'd kept it from her in the first place. She would have understood if she knew everything. He couldn't fault her for getting angry.

Edward pulled his phone from his breast pocket of his jacket intending to call her to try and explain. Running after her earlier that afternoon, would only have escalated into a messy scene. He bet that Victoria had been watching from a distance, it would have been something she would enjoy. But he didn't run after her figuring that he'd give her a few hours to calm down. His stomach was in knots as he tried to imagine how the call would go. As he turned the phone to dial her number, the knots in his stomach instead dropped really low and made way for disappointment and frustration.

His battery had died. God knows how many calls he'd missed already. He wondered briefly if she might have tried to call him? Shoving the phone back in his pocket he decided that he would call her later tonight after the meeting with Jenks. He could only hope that she would actually speak to him and give him a chance. He had a hard time holding onto Elliot, he didn't want to lose Bella before he even had her.

The ding of the lift stopping, brought him out of his thoughts. His hands dug deep into the pockets of his chinos as he stepped out into the quiet lobby. It was after hours and no one was about. Jenks had agreed to see him at such a late hour as their schedules often clashed with each other. He was lucky to have Jenks as a friend and even luckier to have him as his lawyer. Jenks was one of the best family court lawyers out there and if get didn't make this custody battle work for him, then nothing else would.

Edward continued walking towards Jenks's office, his heart filled with hope and his stomach clenched with worry.

**So that was chapter 11. What bad luck that Bella actually tried to call him back and his phone was off? It's hard to keep two people together when they have silly things like dead batteries working against them..**

**What did you think of this one? You're most welcome to review. I'd like that**


	12. Chapter 12

**So I finally made an effort and checked the traffic on my story. I actually thought no one was reading my story. There's the odd one or two people adding it as a favourite, but other than that nothing. Nada. zilch. Except that my traffic indicates that I actually have several hundred hits and visitors.. So guess what? People are reading, they're just not commenting.. Sad but true… **

**Anyway, lets move on. Chapter 12 coming up and it's a kind of a short one, but I hope you like it anyway. Lol, you can review and tell me so. You're most welcome**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing Twilight Related, though I wish I did. **

CHAPTER TWELVE

The hardwood floor under Edward's feet thumped loudly in his ears as his steps took him to the door of the courthouse. Their custody case was scheduled to start in fifteen minutes and his stomach was in knots. He knew he was a little afraid. Jenks had many positive things to say about his case, but he couldn't help but be just a little worried. He didn't want to lose his son. Five months was just too long to be away from his boy. He missed him terribly.

He took a seat on the hard benches just outside the closed doors, leaned over with his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. His nerves were raw and he felt like he was unravelling rather quickly. Rubbing his hands hard over his eyes, he wished he could rub his worries away and wished once again that he could have Bella with him right now. She had that aura about her that would just keep him centred and calm. He quickly fingered his mobile from his pocket and scrolled down to her number. He hadn't called her last night as he'd promised himself. The meeting with John had taken much longer than anticipated and he found himself falling into his bed close to midnight and much too late to call her.

He wanted to speak to her. Needed to speak to her, but his mind was just too filled with Elliot, Victoria and the custody business and what he needed to say to Bella just would not come out right. He needed to make this right. He just wanted this to be over with, have direction and finality where his son was concerned and then make it right with her.

Still staring down at her number, his phone vibrated with an incoming messages. It was from his mother.

_Hello sweet pea. Good luck for today. I just know that the judge will make the right decision. We love you and thinking about you. Call us as soon as you know. Love Mom_

Edward's throat constricted just a little bit. He loved his mother so much. He couldn't ask or want a better mother than her. She loved without condition. No matter how difficult and moody he'd been, it was his mothers love that kept him from getting any worse. It was his mothers show of support that kept him grounded during his divorce. Granted the rest of his family loved him too and he loved them just as unconditionally, but he just had a closer bond with his mother. He quickly keyed in a reply to her.

_Thank you Ma. I'll call you as soon as we're out. I love you._

He couldn't help but smile as he wondered if his mother typed the texted herself or if she got his sister to do it. He was rather inclined to believe the latter. Mum and dad were rather challenged when it came to modern technology. She still preferred chopping to using the processor or bender in the kitchen; mixing with the wooden spoon rather than using the electric mixer. He called her way doing it the hard way, she called it real cooking. A small smile tugged at his lips. He hoped he had good news to give her in a couple of hours.

"You better shut that off before we go in there," a voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked up. It was Jenks.

"Yeah ok." He quickly shut it off and put it in his breast pocket.

"Are you ready for this?" Jenks asked him. He mused over the question for a second, his gut contracting once again and the quiet calm from his thoughts about his mother slowly dwindled.

"No," he answered. "But I can't _not _ do this."

As they made their way into the room, he crossed his fingers and secretly hoped that his prayers would be answered today.

She's tried twice now already in the last hour, but every time she called his number, all she got was a voicemail and she just hated leaving a message. She'd much preferred speaking to him directly. Edward had told her on several occasions that he never shut his phone off and the fact that she couldn't get hold of him, told her that he didn't want to be reached. Not by her or anyone else.

She tried his direct office number, only to find herself speaking to his personal secretary. The girl was pleasant enough when she told her to hold on, but when Bella had given her name, the secretary had told her that Mr Cullen was unavailable for the rest of the day. Something in the girl's tone made Bella wonder whether Edward was really as unavailable as the girl claimed? Was he avoiding her or was she just looking at things at an angle that suited her troubled mood? Either way it's been two days now already and she's tried to call him several times. Not once had he called her and she wondered if he ever would.

Should she try again later in the day? No… She's never been one to pine after someone when it was clearly over. She tried to keep the anger she felt right on top of the surface, but the hurt was just a little bit too strong. It broke through the cracks and she slowly became aware of that familiar sting of rejection. If you can call what she and Edward had a relationship, then him ignoring her meant that she'd basically been dumped.

She sighed heavily and decided she was not going to give in to her emotions for now. She had too much to do. She placed her mobile on the coffee table and made her way to the kitchen to get a glass of red wine. She hoped the wine would help mellow out her mood.

With the wine glass clenched between her fingers, she took a seat in front of her computer and hoped that work would distract her a bit. As she waited for the programs to load she glanced back at her mobile and her stomach twisted just a little. She grabbed the BLD brief with a grimace and started reading. She was due to start working at M.C. TECHNOLOGIES, a client of BLD MARKETING that required her to work with M.C. TECH'S marketing and development team. She needed to make sure she understood the brief properly before she started there next week. M.C. TECH had a new product range they wanted to release successfully and for that to happen they needed a whole new set of research on their target market. Bella formed part of an external team that would figure out how exactly they would make the target market want to buy this product. She really had very little part in deciding things like marketing angles, but her role was vital when it came to the visual marketing and branding.

She was due to meet Angela tomorrow. Angela worked at BLD and was middle management in product development. They had some brainstorming to do so that they stepped foot in at M.C. TECH with at least a few ideas up their sleeves. Kathleen Denali trusted the two of them to put their best foot forward and make a good impression.

Bella got so immersed in the brief that new ideas immediately flooded her brain. She quickly grabbed her notepad and pen and jotted down the ideas as they came to her. Some she immediately brushed off as too commercial and cheesy and others she thought was worth discussing with Angela tomorrow. The work kept her busy and though not forgotten, Edward still hovered silently in the back of her mind. Every time a thought of him came forward, she quickly pushed and forced him out again by concentrating even harder on the task at hand.

She worked until her fingers cramped from writing and her shoulders and neck ached from sitting in the same position. And when her stomach grumbled in protest, she finally laid her pen down and headed to the kitchen. Standing in front of the open fridge, it took her a good five minutes to decide what to eat. She took out the leftover roast and simultaneously reached for the pickles, tomatoes and mayonnaise. Toasting up some rye bread she quickly put the sandwich together and stood in the doorway of her backdoor looking out at her garden. And even that now made her nostalgic. She'd never be able to look at her backyard with indifference again, not after having Edward over so many times for lunch or supper. They often spent those times on the back porch or under the large maple in the corner. And other times they even had a picnic on the lawn in the middle of the garden, just soaking up the sun and the comfort of being together.

Now she couldn't look at that very same garden she'd had for the past three years without seeing Edward in it and not without that now familiar dull ache that hadn't left her since their argument. She swallowed hard on the last bite of her sandwich, her fingers trembling slightly as she picked up her phone yet again. Her mind was telling her to just wait for him to call her, as she's made every attempt to contact him. But there was another side of her that told her that even though she'd called him several time, not once had she left him a message. And because he'd phone had been off each time she called, he had no way of knowing that she tried.

She stared at his number for a moment and decided against it. She did leave her name at his office. He was sure to get that. If he didn't call back, then it was really over.

Bella quickly dialled Alice's number instead. She owed her friend some quality time that _did not _involve tears, ice cream and getting fat over a man. The phone barely rang once when Alice answered, the cheerful quality in her voice immediately making Bella feel just a little better.

"What's got you so chipper squirt?" she asked her best friend.

"What's not to be chipper about?" Alice's giggles tickled Bella's ears. "Jasper is coming back later this afternoon from his last trip for the next two months. Can you believe that he's taking a month vacation once the baby is born? God, I love my husband!"

"Hmmm… you did get rather lucky with that one didn't you? The gods must love you lots."

"Awww, I did, didn't I? But don't be so down, the sun is going to shine in your corner pretty soon again."

"Yes, cause the signs of that is clearly so evident in my life right now." Her groan only made her friend giggle some more.

"Don't be such a ninny Bells. You have a great life and pretty soon you'll sort things with Edward and then things will be right back to being dandy. Have you spoken to him yet?"

"No, I tried calling several times today, but his phone is still off. I did manage to call his office and left my name. Don't know if he'll call back though. He must be really angry at me for not giving him a chance to explain."

"I'm sure he's just very busy. Edward doesn't seem like the kind of man that would just ignore you."

"I don't know Al. I really laid it into him. I wouldn't talk to me if I were him."

"It's only been a day you know. Give it some time. Don't give up just because you're too stubborn to believe that it's worth fighting for." Alice's voice raised an octave higher as she tried to convince Bella that it was just an unfortunate case of misunderstanding. "Hey, why don't you come over and help me put the finishing touches to Alexa's room?"

"It's finished already?" Bella asked with concern. Alice had a way with going a little overboard .The baby was due in less than three weeks and Alice gave very little notice when the doctor and her husband told her several times not to partake in any strenuous activities and Bella was pretty sure that climbing up stepping stools to hang pictures was not something she should be doing in her condition.

"Don't worry, I've done none of the hard work." Alice replied, as if reading Bella's mind. "Come over and you can hang the pictures and stack the shelving while I do a very good job of delegating from the floor."

'Fine, fine, I'll be right there."

The short phone call with Alice already made her feel heaps better and she was sure an afternoon talking about the baby and just being around someone as chirpy and good natured as Alice, would be a better distraction than work.

She grabbed her handbag from the couch in the lounge and the bag of baby goodies and gifts on the floor by the door. She had a few touches of her own she wanted to add to the room. She and Alice were like-minded in most things, so she was sure that Alice would love what she had.

As she locked the door and got into her car, her first smile for the day reached her lips and her eyes. She really was feeling much better.

Edward's heart soared as he left the courthouse. He was beyond elated. _Finally _things were going his way. His time in court fighting over his son, had pulled at his last strings of hope and sanity. Awful things had been said, Victoria trying to make it look like he wasn't a good father. He refused to play that game with her in court. He refused to throw effective words that made it seem she wasn't a good mother. He didn't want to go that low. Victoria was a good mother, but she was also a little selfish.

Instead he and Jenks concentrated on showing the judge receipts and statements regarding the financial support he was giving his son. The fact that he'd kept his calls and fruitless visits to Elliot documented, also helped his case. He just had to prove that he was in fact a good father and deserved to have time with his son that was legally allocated by the court. Time Victoria could not deny him without getting in trouble with social services herself.

When after hours of going back and forth, the judge finally took a seat after deliberating for nearly an hour, Edward heard the best news he could have hoped for. He wasn't fighting for full custody, just equal custody. The court gave him exactly that.

When he heard the words, he could not stop a smile from spreading to his face. His cheeks ached with happiness. He got _so _ much more than he hoped for. He was merely fighting for weekends and one day a week, but the judge instead opted to make the split even. It had been decided that he would have Elliot for one full week. From Sunday morning to the following Sunday morning, but Victoria was allowed to have Elliot for two afternoons in the week where at the end of the day he had to be returned to Edward. The same would then go for Edward too. Victoria would then have their son for the alternate weeks and Edward in turn was allowed two afternoon visits too. Holidays would then be alternatively shared between them, though summer vacation would then be divided with six weeks with either parent. It really was a even and fair split.

The judge also suggested that because Elliot was so young that being the weekly move might upset him if not handled well his parents. He suggest that when Elliot was with his father, Edward should encourage Elliot to call his mother daily and vice versa. He needed to understand that he wasn't being taken away from his mother, he was simply on a 'daddy vacation'. The same would then go for Victoria when Elliot was with her. Any other alternative arrangements had to be approved by both parents and there was no way around it.

He couldn't be happier. He hoped that this was the perfect opportunity for him and his ex wife to be at least civil with each other. He would like it better if they actually got along like true friends for the sake of their son, but civility was what he hoped for best.

It was Thursday today and his first week with Elliot started this Sunday. He felt as giddy as a child. The excitement was almost too much for him. As he got into his car, he immediately switched on his phone and checked for any messages. Nothing from Bella. He didn't know why he thought she might have called him. She was rightfully still angry and really the ball was in his court. He wanted to call her now and tell her the news, but in light of what she _thought _she knew about the situation, she probably would not understand without a very long explanation. He needed to see her. That's the only way she would really understand what he felt and what really was going on with his ex and his son.

But instead of dialling her number, he called his family instead. Surprisingly his sister answered and with a pleasant tone at that. As he relayed the events of the day and told her the news, she was actually quite excited and pleasant and quite believably happy for him. His heart grew tenfold with love for his baby sister. They had been making effort at a better relationship and progress was slow, but he knew without a doubt that his sister did love him and like him, she just had difficulty showing it.

She had put his call on speaker and he heard his parents excited chatter in the background. He swore he could see his mother's tears and his fathers smile. He wasn't the only one that missed Elliot. If he didn't see his son, then they didn't see him either.

Hi second call was to his older brother Emmet. It wasn't a long call. His brother had a family of his own and currently had his hands full with Edwards nieces, five year old Sophie and 3 year old Maddie. Emmet barely got a congratulatory word in when he was interrupted by the playful shrieks by his girls. He told Edward he'd see him over the weekend for a round of golf without the rugrats around.

As he ended the call, the smile he carried had yet to leave his face. When he ran his hand over his face, as if to straighten it, he found his face wet with tears. Happy tears that made him smile even bigger. He was ever so thankful that he was in the underground parking and no one was around.

Pulling the car out of it's parking spot, he dialled the office and put the phone on speaker. He quickly shared his news with his PA and just as quickly he decided to take the next week and a half off. He wouldn't be back until the eighteenth and she wasn't to bother him with anything unless it was an emergency. She was to pass on all queries to Avery Hamilton, his business partner.

He couldn't wait to give his son his undivided attention.

**So that was chapter 12. A good one? Certainly was a good one for Edward. What did you think? Come on.. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease review.. And yes I'm begging. And I'm not ashamed!**


	13. Chapter 13

**212 visitors and 642 hits in this month alone. For someone that's not getting any reviews, I don't think that's bad. I mean obviously not as great as many other stories on this site, but it doesn't suck otherwise both those numbers would be a bag fat zero.**

**Anyway on with the story. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything twilight related, only this plot.**

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Bella perused her closet wondering what the heck she was going to wear for her first day at M.C. TECH. Her room was a chaotic mess of suit bottoms flung on the floor, jackets over the pants and on the bed. She'd chucked just about everything out of her closet and still didn't find anything that peaked her interest. If she had been anything like Alice, she would have found her way to the boutiques already to find something new. Except, she wasn't anything like Alice. She knew there was something in her closet she could wear and simultaneously look good and feel comfortable.

She looked forward to the new environment for the next few weeks. She'd finished up all other freelance work she had a few days ago already and it left her with too much time. All that time in turn made her think of Edward too often. After that second day she tried to reach him again and the next day and the day after and each time she came up with nothing. He either didn't answer his calls or his mobile was off. When she tried to reach him at his office, she got the same message as before, that Mr Cullen would be unavailable for an undetermined number of days. She'd given up after that and locked her heart and her resolve.

When he'd texted her just a few days after that, she barely gave any mind to the message. She was now determined to just end it and keep it like that. It seemed to her that the 'relationship' was already too much trouble even before it started. They weren't even together long enough for her to decide if it was really worth it or not.

His message was something along the lines of _I know I haven't been the best at communicating lately, but things have been a little crazy. We really need to talk Bella. I need to explain. _

She'd barely given her response any thought. Before she replied she wondered why his message made her feel so indifferent, why when she used to catch a hasty breath at his messages, she now only felt numb inside? Because she had decided she was done. Had he returned her calls within the first two days maybe, she might have given it a chance. She had hope then. Instead he waited nearly a week! He didn't even bother to call, but texted her instead! It only made her resolve to just 'be friends' so much stronger. He took the cowards way out by sending a message. He knew then that he had just thrown the ball back in her court and it was up to Bella to decide what happens next.

She simply decided that honesty and a little effort from his part could have gone a long way, but he made the decision to make her a second-hand thought. That ultimately told her that she clearly was not important enough to fight for. She knew that she tried. She didn't succeed, but she tried.

Her reply to him had simply been _This isn't working. I thought that we weren't playing games. I tried to contact you for days and just now you couldn't even make the effort to call instead of texting me. Let's just end this please. I don't want to be angry with you, so for the sake of 'what we had' lets just be friends?_

She'd barely flung the phone on the couch next to her, where she'd been watching a movie, when it chirped moments later with a response.

_I'm not giving up. There's a reason for everything. _It was then she decided that she would be the one that kept things closed on her side. She just didn't respond. Not to his numerous texts, not his calls, not even when he came knocking on her door last night. She simply pretended she wasn't home. Though her car standing outside was a dead giveaway, she just ignore him. She could hear the shuffle of his feet outside her door. Her insides churned as she so desperately wanted to swing that door open and just have it out with him. But she knew that if she accepted him back now, that in future she would be too weak to resist him. She knew that if it hurt so much now already and it would only be worse in future if they were to split again. Because Edward was the kind man that he was, despite the fact that there was some misunderstanding about his son and ex and honesty, she knew that he had the ability to do something that no other man could. She knew he had the ability to hurt her so much more and she knew that she was in too deep and too weak to not let that happen.

So that was when she allowed her mind to overrule her heart and got out while she could before she invested too much of herself in him. When he'd eventually left her door after nearly 30 minutes of knocking and calling, she felt a brief sense of relief yet at the same time a twinge of regret. Edward was great and she so willingly let him go. She found herself sitting with her back to her door, her knees drawn up to her chest. She clutched her legs, willing the shudders to go away as she listen to the cars door slam. The start of the engine signified the end of what was Edward and Bella.

She knew without a doubt that there was no one like him.

Bella mentally shook herself out of her thoughts. She needed to stop thinking about him. She had a new challenge to look forward to and she was not going to let thoughts about him distract her. She needed to make a good impression tomorrow but felt she needed to be at her most comfortable and knew that her outfit was a start to it all. So with all her suits lying everywhere expect in the closet, she grabbed a pair of fitted jeans instead, with a cropped dove grey jacket with puffed short sleeves and a pair of silver kitten pumps. Reaching into the other side of her closet, she grabbed a little sleeveless, white, lace number. The bust had a high neck, was white mesh with thick brocade embroidery that was rather vintage, while the torso was reminiscent of a corset. A perfect mixture of sweet innocence bordering sexy. The jacket however kept it from being too bold.

She hung her ensemble on a hanger and hooked it on the outside of the closet handle. After the quiet contemplation she giggled and realized that Alice would be proud that she could handle picking out an outfit without getting hysterical and calling her friend on her mobile asking for help.

Edward watched his son play with his legos on the grass with quiet contemplation. He felt a great sense of peace to finally have his son with him but at the same he felt so torn. He knew it was a stupid mistake on his to take so long to contact her, but his boy was his first priority. He devoted every second of his time to Elliot the past week and a half. He was the most important thing to him, but at the same time he left things in pieces with Bella. The longer he took to fix things, the more strain it added to their already vulnerable relationship.

When he'd finally had fraction of a free moment to himself, free being standing at the door while his son decided that all bathwater was meant to be on the floor instead, he sent Bella a text about needing to talk. Her reply though kicked him in the gut. He'd taken too long. He knew he couldn't give up and told her in so many words.

She did not respond.

He couldn't talk to her then. He desperately wanted to call her, but Elliot had decided that he was done playing in his bath and wanted out, so once again he had to push Bella to the back of his mind. He hoped that when he did get around to it that he'd come up with the right words. He couldn't exactly have it out with her in front of Elliot and decided to wait till the following week when Elliot was with his mother. He hoped she would understand. He just need the time.

"What's wrong Daddy?" He looked up at his son who was now standing in front of him, his toy lego robot clutched loosely in his tiny hand.

"You look sad," the boy continued.

"Daddy's not sad." Edward hoped Elliot bought that lie. "Daddy is just thinking really hard about a problem." He pulled Elliot into the crook of his arm and ruffled his all too long scruffy mop of curls atop his head.

"I think someone needs a visit to the barber," he said trying to change the subject.

"What kinda problem Daddy?" Ok, the kid clearly wasn't buying it. He sighed and pulled Elliot onto his lap.

"Don't you worry," he said. "It's a grown up problem so there's no need for you to be concerned."

"But can't I help?" He stared at his father with those big grey eyes and Edward's heart warmed with the concern and love he saw there. His five year old was so much like himself, always looking out for the ones they loved and always ready to help. He felt proud so much of own upbringing was so much a part of who Elliot was. Victoria was a selfish woman, but at least she was conniving enough not to let her son see that part of her and right now at five, Elliot was one of the most well mannered and caring children he knew.

"Do you think you might have some advice for Daddy?" he asked his boy. Elliot vigorously nodded his head. He was ready for anything.

"See Daddy has a new friend and she thinks that Daddy told her a lie and did something bad, but I didn't and she doesn't want to give me a chance to explain. What do you think Daddy should do?"

His son's face contorted in concentration. He stuck the tip of his finger between his teeth, a habit he picked up while deep in thought. His little eyes squinted as he focused on the problem at hand.

"Did you say sorry?" he asked his father. He was completely serious and his little frown made it hard for Edward to hold his laughter.

'"h huh, I did, but she still won't talk to me. Got any other ideas?"

Elliot's little face went back to thinking mode again and just a few seconds later his entire face lit up and Edward could practically see the illuminated light bulb above his curly mop.

"Flowers!" he practically screamed in excitement. "Girls like flowers Daddy!"

"Are you sure kiddo?"

Elliot bounced with excitement. He loved that he actually had a solution to his dad's problem.

"Yes Daddy," he stressed his affirmation. "Whenever Pappy forgets to do something Grammy asked him, he always gets her flowers! Grammy says she can never be angry at Pappy for long when he gives her flowers."

"So you think that would work for Daddy too?"

"Uh huh, but you gots to say you're very sorry and you'll never do it again."

"But Daddy did nothing wrong."

Elliot gave his father an exasperated stare.

"Pappy says you should say sorry with flowers anyway cause they make a lady happy." He stalked away from his father, lego robot still swinging in his hand and threw himself back on the grass intending to play with is legos again now that the problem was solved. "Grammy always smiles when Pappy gives her flowers, Daddy. You should try that."

Edward felt the laughter bubble through his throat as he watched his son. He couldn't laugh out loud as Elliot was very serious about his advice, so instead he plastered a huge grin on his face and lowered himself on the soft grass and joined his boy.

_Maybe it was that simple _he thought as he assembled a robot that paled in comparison to the one Elliot had built.

He would give Elliot's suggestion a try but he would still need to get Bella alone for that. He tried going to her place the other night while Elliot had spent the evening with his parents. He knew she was home. He could see the light from the kitchen glow into the living room through the window and her car was a clear indication that she was home. But she'd refused to acknowledge that he'd been at her door.

He'd walked away after more than thirty minutes of calling and knocking, with his heart heavy laden with regret.

He said to her he wasn't giving up. She had to know exactly what was going on, the whole truth.

Bella stepped out of the elevator and walked down the passage to her temporary office. It was already day two of her experience at M.C. TECHNOLOGIES and she found the atmosphere refreshing and different. Everyone had welcomed herself and Angela with open arms and were eager to listen to their ideas and opinions. She had been introduced to a vast amount of people and it was hard to keep track of all the names, but she remembered a few important ones like that of David Morrison who was heading up the creative team; Jason Killham from finance and of course Avery Hamilton who was overall in charge of marketing and was also the MD.

Her office was right at the end of a long passage on the third floor. As she reached her door she looked out the large window at the end of the passage. She watched all sorts of business people make their way too and from lunch and meetings and wondered if she was cut out for this world. She liked having her own time, but she had to admit that sometimes Kate made it quite tempting to want to work on the more corporate side of the business. She guessed that the next two months would be the perfect opportunity to see if she liked it nine-to-five and if she liked reporting to someone above her.

She turned and opened the door and stepped inside the well lit room. Light flooded the room from the large bay windows on her right. It was more of large room than an actual office with an assortment of mismatched furniture. Someone had clearly made sure that she would get all the basics, but they put very little effort into making it aesthetically appealing. The desk with the computer was tucked in the darkest corner of the room and turned away from the light. Bella made a mental note to make time to turn the desk facing the windows. The view was better and it would also stop the glare of the sun on her screen. She also noted the drawing table and light box that was sort of placed in the centre of the room. And then on the wall below the window there were rows of draws and low shelves that were filled with books about design, marketing, colour theory, etc. The wall at the end of the room held more shelves and draws, but these were filled with all sort of art materials. They were encouraged to not just develop computer aided designs, but in the more traditional sense too. Her fingers itched to use the variety of pencils, coloured pencils, paints, an assortment of paper. It really was like putting her in a candy store and made her feel like a kid, that didn't know where to look first.

But she held the urge and padded towards the drawing table instead. She adjusted the level of the table so that it was flattened to resemble a regular table and placed her chicken salad and bottled water on it while she went to find a book to page through. She found one on how architectural design influenced modern artist and settled at the table. The salad was delicious and the water chilled just enough to cool her off so that she didn't miss the breeze outside. Had she been at home she would have taken her laptop outside in her garden and worked under the large maple. Bella smiled and mentally made the first tick in favour of working at home rather than an office.

Her mind wandered as she paged through the book and she allowed the images to take her into another world. She absentmindedly stuck her fork in her bowl only to find nothing. She'd finished her salad without realizing it. She reached for her water bottle and as she twisted the top she glanced at her watched. She was going to be late for the 1:30pm meeting if she didn't leave now. She took a quick gulp of water, twisted the cap back on, picked up her dirty dishes and placed them on the counter in the small kitchenette in the corner of the room. The floor's cleaning lady was due to come around at two so she wouldn't have to worry about cleaning them.

She padded back to her desk and grabbed the notes she'd made at the briefing before lunch. She needed to keep track of everything that floated through her mind before she lost the ideas. Writing down everything was a habit she picked up in her college days and it worked. If she wrote it down and forgot it, she could always refer back to her notes again to refresh her memory.

Bella fumbled with her notes and pens while trying to switch her mobile to silent as she left the room. She heard the distinct ding of the elevator stopping on her floor and made a run for it before it closed again. Just as she rounded the bend and stepped into the box, she collided with something hard or rather _someone _large and strong. She started falling back and felt the person try to grab onto her but it was to late.

Her next collision was that of her bottom hitting the carpeted, but hardly cushiony floor. She hit it was a loud thud and grimaced at the painful impact.

"Oh! I'm _so _sorry!" she exclaimed. "I wasn't looking where I was going I was in a hurry to get to the l.."

Her explanation was cut short as she looked into the face of a man she knew she would never forget and never in a million years thought she would literally run into him here. She brushed her hair out of her face and gaped at him. He was busy picking up her things off the floor, muttering that he too was sorry. His green eyes grew large as he then looked at her directly.

"Liz?" he asked, shock evident in his face. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing Anthony."

**Oh look, I made a cliffy! How was that for you? Good enough? You're welcome to review and tell me so. **


	14. Chapter 14

**A reviewer mentioned to me that sometimes Bella's name is Liz and Edward's is Anthony… this was a mistake on my part for which I apologise. I do not have anyone proofing my story, so all mistakes are my own. I try to catch them all but when you're working so close with a project, sometimes you miss the obvious. Now the reason the names are wrong, is because a year ago I wanted to try my hand at writing a simple love story, kind of like a mills and boon novel Lol, im not ashamed. I'm addicted to those books. Anyway wrote the book and I knew it was good enough for publishing, but I did know that with some tweaking the characters felt so much like they would do better as Bella and Edward… so there, that's why some bits my be confusing.**

**I attempted to go back and fix things, but with a day job and photography/freelance business AND AND AND reading fanfics in my spare time, I really haven't had the chance. So I will leave the past mistakes for now and make sure I get all the details right in future chapters.**

**Flip that's on long AN…let me get on with this.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing Twilight related. Well except the new Breaking Dawn poster my friend got me when she scored it for free at the cinema.**

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Edward watched Bella with a keen eye as he helped her to her feet. She looked just about as flustered as he felt. He bent down to retrieve the rest of her belongings from the floor and handed them back to her. She took her things from him with slow deliberation, as if she wanted to avoid touching him. Holding her things with a too tight grip, she eyed him speculatively.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Uhm… I'm the owner?"

Her eyes merely widened. "It is?"

"Yes."

"I thought Avery Hamilton was the MD."

"He's my partner. I started out on my own. Avery joined me as partner and marketing director about three years ago," he explained. She seemed to be at a loss for words and she kept shifting her vision from his face to the open elevator behind him.

"What exactly are you doing here?" He asked her.

She blinked several times. "Uhm… I'm part of the design and marketing team from BLD Marketing."

She shifted uncomfortably on the balls of her feet and cautiously took a step to his right and made way inside the confines of the steel box. She clearly did not want to talk to him. He stared after her. This really was not the conversation he wanted to have with her. What he really wanted to do was talk about Elliot, talk about them. He took a step toward her, but faltered when she took one away from him.

"We have to talk," he said.

"I have to go." She took another deliberate step away from him. "I'm late. I was supposed to be down there five minutes ago."

He watched her carefully from the doorway as she punched in the number of the floor she was heading. She was forcing him to take a step back out the doorway but instead he quickly stepped forward into the elevator with her. He wasn't sure but he thought she might have flinched slightly. Was she so angry at him that she couldn't even stand to be near him?

"We _need _to talk," he repeated himself a little more firmly.

Her shoulders rose slightly as she took a deep breath. "What else could we possibly have left to say to each other, Edward?' she said through clenched teeth. "Whatever this was between us, is clearly going the wrong way. So why not just end it before it goes too far?"

"Is that how you really feel?" He felt a mild boil of irritation towards her. Could she really let her pride get in the way of this?

She stared ahead of her, watching the door close. "Yes."

"You have it all wrong you know."

She looked at him, her one brow cocked in question. "So everything your wife said was a blatant lie?" She practically dared him to say yes.

"It wasn't the truth." Her brow went up again along with a faint scowl. "Look, I need to tell you the truth and not the half-assed truth Victoria gave you at the bistro."

"And what makes you think I would listen to you after you've practically ignored me for so long."

Edward breathed an exasperated sigh. "Because you're spending the next two months in _my _building and we're bound to bump into each other on a daily basis. In fact, we'll probably see each other in a few meetings too. So I need you to know the real truth so that we can at least handle each other with as much civility as possible to make this all bearable."

Her silence was almost deafening. She watched the red light of the floor numbers shift from two to one and exhaled a defeated sigh.

"Fine," she said. "When?"

"Today." He wanted this out between them as soon as possible. "Have you got time this afternoon at five?"

She nodded as she stepped out the lift.

'Come around to my office on the seventh floor. I'll be waiting.'

He kept the door open and watched her as she hurriedly stepped away from him and quickly made her way to one of the many boardrooms on the first floor. He craved to be with her and not able to touch her made him realise how much he'd missed her. He really shouldn't have waited so long. He was a fool and might just have made the stupidest mistake ever. He hoped he could rectify that.

As he stepped back into the lift to go to the ground floor, he caught the curious glance of the receptionist. She must have been watching them since the door opened and who knows what kind of conclusions she came to.

He chose to ignore her and let the doors close.

Bella stood in front of the door and stared at the round, chrome doorknob. She felt like she had a nervous tick as she'd reached for the knob several times, not once succeeding in opening it. She'd been standing outside his door for several minutes now and she was afraid. Of what she wasn't sure. She just knew that seeing him again brought it all back.

She thought that she could stay angry, but when she'd literally run into him this afternoon, all her misgivings seems to have evaporated. Yet still she held onto a superficial bit of resentment and anger. She was protecting herself, she rationalised. Keeping him at a safe distance, kept her heart safe.

He'd practically demanded she come see him and she wanted to say no, but found that she couldn't and instead agreed too quickly that they should talk. Deep down she knew he was right. They were going to run into each other a lot more during her time here and it would be better for them to part as friends rather than have the animosity hang over them. The tension would make their environment unbearable. She had something to prove to Kathleen and to herself and she wasn't about to let her issues with Edward get in the way.

It was hard after she left him in the elevator. She knew he was watching her walk away. She could feel his eyes on her. She could feel the receptionist's eyes too. Keeping a clear head during the meeting was difficult. Her mind kept going back to their run in and several times she found her mind wandering and missed parts of the meeting. She mentally reminded herself to ask the junior PA for a copy of the meeting's minutes.

It was at the end of the meeting when she realised the barely knew what had been discussed that she knew she definitely could not miss this talk with him. She wouldn't ever be able to concentrate properly knowing he was around and they were not on speaking terms.

So now she found herself, a few minutes just after five, in front of his door.

_I just have to get this over and done with, _she thought. She swiftly raised her hand and sounded three quick raps on the door. It was barely two seconds and the door swung open widely. He stood there holding the door open and the afternoon light cast a soft glow behind him. He'd removed his tie and jacket and rolled up his sleeves. He looked comfortable. Was that how he felt?

"Come in," he said and moved sideways to clear the doorway for her.

As she stepped into his office she heard the door click close behind them. _No turning back now, _she thought. She stood in front of his desk resting her hands on the back of a chair reserved for his guests. Her nerves were wrung tight and she was acutely aware of them. Out of the corner of her right eye, she watched him come around, but instead of taking a seat behind his desk as she expected, he grabbed a manila envelope and walked toward the small lounge in the far corner of his office. He didn't look back, didn't call for her follow him, but she knew he expected her right there next to him.

She walked towards him, taking a seat in the leather armchair to his left. She could not make herself sit next to him and torment herself with his nearness. He cast her a questioning look. He knew exactly why she took a seat in the armchair.

He opened the envelope and fingered through the contents. Apparently finding what he was looking for, he placed three sheets of paper in front of her.

"What's this?" she asked.

He sat back watching her face as he talked. "That would the documentation my lawyer and I presented to the family court judge when I fought for official visiting rights of my son."

Bella's ears started wringing. She was not altogether sure if she'd heard right. "What?"

"The day Victoria so graciously introduced herself to you, I was actually going to tell you about my boy."

"You were?" She sounded stupid to her own ears. Why couldn't she string more than two words together?

"I had planned on telling you for weeks, but I wanted to be sure that we were heading somewhere serious before I told you. I know I should have told you from the beginning that I had problems with custody, but every time I wanted to tell you, we had some sort of romantic date and I didn't want to spoil the moment for you."

Bella still could only stare at him. She had yet to define what she was feeling right now. Somewhere in the mix she was feeling a small sense of resentment that he didn't trust his gut like she did knowing that they could go far but at the same time she felt shame, because he was a man that had put his son first. A man that was good and kind and honest to the bone. And stupid scared girl that she was, had thought the worst of him when someone had planted the seed in her mind. She had known what kind of man he was and she threw all that she knew out the window because she'd been afraid that it was all just too good.

She was losing him. She knew it. She could feel it in her gut. And it was all her own doing. She was the one that had pushed him away, refusing to listen.

He picked up on of the sheets in front of her, pointing at a paragraph here and there. He proceeded to tell her that in the past 5 or 6 months he attempted several times a week to see his son, but that Victoria was spiteful and always found a way to keep them apart. She'd tried to use their son as means of squeezing more alimony out of him, but he refused to budge. His relationship with his son was that of love and not that of bribery and manipulation.

So instead of giving into her demands, he had instead converted money into time and provision for his boy. He bought his son clothes, school supplies, etc. on a monthly basis that all added up to the amount he was supposed to pay his ex in alimony. He made sure that he paid all the doctor's bills, school fees and extra activities they had lined up for their son. This way he knew that the child was taken care of and the money he might have given to his mother was not spend irresponsibly on the high maintenance lifestyle she was used to.

It turned out that Victoria couldn't fault him for not supporting his son and taking care of his every need, but she could keep him away from his father and that's where the trouble started. In all that time he only saw his boy for a handful of times and only when his ex had left him with her own parents. Ex in-laws that still loved their ex son-in-law and would call him over every time they had their grandchild over. He explained that he was grateful to them, but that he couldn't allow it to go on like that.

That was when he looked into getting official visiting rights. For them to have a structured, court appointed set of rules that neither of them could bend to their will and manipulate the other with.

She sat there unmoving, not altogether sure what to say. The man bared himself to her, drawing her into the most intimate part of himself and she didn't know how to say she's sorry and most importantly how to tell him that she regrets ever walking away from him that day.

Edward was watching her now, waiting for her to say something. He'd now given her the bare facts. There was no bending the truth anymore. No lies. No secrets.

She was still clutching that bag of hers, the one she'd been carrying since she stepped into his office. She was also still staring at the papers in front of her. He supposed it was a lot to take in, but how difficult was it to say _I believe you_? That's all he really wanted from her. Believing in him and have her back in his life.

He watched her fidget nervously with the clasp of the bag and faintly heard a whisper escape her lips. He didn't catch that.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"What's his name?" Her whisper was barely louder than the last one. Had she not been paying attention? He'd been talking about his son now for the last thirty or forty minutes.

As if hearing his train of thought she spoke again. "You refer to your son as _my boy._"

Realisation flushed his face. "Yes…Uhm. It's Elliot. Elliot Masen Cullen." Pride laced the tone in his voice.

"Elliot," she repeated. "It's a nice name."

He waited for her to say more, but she simply stared at everything in the room, but him.

"Do you understand now?" he asked. "Do you forgive me?"

Her head snapped back in his direction, finally making eye contact, her eyes wide.

"Forgive you?" she almost whined. "I should be the one asking you for forgiveness! I jumped to stupid conclusions and believed the word of a stranger and didn't give you a chance to explain!"

She dropped the bag she'd been clutching and practically leaped onto the two-seater couch he'd been occupying since she came in. She grabbed his hand, almost frantic in her actions and pleaded with him.

"I'm _so _sorry!" she whispered. "I was quick to judge and came to the wrong conclusions. I know what kind of man you are. You're good. A really, really good man. You're warm and kind and honourable and I knew that about you. That kind of man would _never _neglect his own son. I shouldn't have believed her! I…"

"Stop!" he interrupted her. "It's in the past. I should be the one apologising."

"You've got nothing to apologise for!"

"Yes, I do," he said placing a single finger on her lips. "How about the fact that I never called you back?" He smiled at her trying to ease the tension.

"Well, there is that," her returning smile wavered a little. "You could have called you know. I thought you hated me!"

"I could never hate you!" _How could she think such a thing? _he thought.

She moved away from him then. The action puzzled him. Just mere seconds ago he felt he had her back, but he could feel her force the distance. Not just physically, but something felt wrong between them yet again. He wondered what he could have said to change the air like that.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"I'm glad we spoke and had this talk," she replied.

"Why do I feel a _but _coming?" She was about to say something he didn't want to hear. He could feel it in his gut.

She collected his papers for him in a stack and placed them back in the folder as she spoke. "All of this, whatever this is," she started. "It made me realise something."

She looked him in the eye then. He waited.

"I come second," she started.

"Wha…what do you mean?" Edward's gut clenched even tighter.

"Your son comes first. I realised that if we had really had the kind of relationship I thought we had, one of honesty and no secrets, then you would have shared your situation for me. It made me realise that no matter what, your boy would always come first. It's not something I would take away from you. I wouldn't ever want you to push your son or your family aside for me."

"I still don't understand Bella."

"What I mean is that, I don't think we can go back to what we were before. Everything's changed."

Edward stared at her dumfounded. "So you're saying?"

"I'm saying that if you really felt for me what you thought you did, then you would have made the effort to include me." She sighed audibly. "We're at different stages of our lives Edward and right now you're in a space where your son comes first and there isn't space for anyone else."

"Yes, but it's not like…" he started.

"Edward!' she interrupted him. "I think we should just part as friends."

**Hmmm… I'm starting to think that my version of Bella is a little bit of a drama queen. What do you think?**

**Review and let me know. I'm off to bed. My sinus is bothering me again. Sigh…**


	15. Chapter 15

**We're really making progress here! I got a few reviews and favourite alerts from the last chapter! Loving it. Good to know that some people respond. Love you guys.**

**On something totally unrelated: I turned 30 on Friday. 30 and I'm still crazy obsessed with all things twilight. Already beat down Look & Listen asking them when the Breaking Dawn soundtrack would arrive. Sadly all they could say is that the files are open but they don't have a date yet. I know though that it's usually a week before the movie is released. So I cant wait!**

**But lets get on with the story instead. Need to find out what Bella means with all this 'friends' nonsense.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but I would love to. **

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Edward stared at Bella, a dumbfounded expression on his face. He wasn't altogether sure if he'd heard right. She just wanted to be friends? Where in God's name did that come from?

"Friends?" he asked, as if the word was entirely unfamiliar to him.

"Yes, friends. You know, two people who think well of each other and are on good terms."

"Save me the dictionary Bella," he almost snapped. "I know what friends mean, but I had been under the impression that we were more than that."

"We were Edward. We are. But like I said, we're at different stages of our lives and even though we want the same things, it seems we're not taking the same approach to get there."

"You're talking in circles!" He snapped at her and immediately blanched when he realised it.

"Oh God!" she sighed. "This is so hard."

Edward ground his teeth in frustration and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Just say it Bella. Just get it out." He didn't have to think about what she had to say. He knew exactly and he didn't want to hear it, but he figured there was no stopping her. He just didn't understand why.

"I can't do this," she whispered. She looked at his hands, clenching and unclenching. "You've had your family Edward. You'll always have a history with Victoria no matter what happens. You'll always share a special bond. Even though you've been fighting lately and things have been testy, the fact that you have a child together will always keep you guys together somehow and for someone like me to step in, an outsider, well…I'd never be able to fill those shoes. They'd always be too big for me. These sort of relationships are hard and often don't work out and I want us to just take a moment and stop. Before it ruins our friendship too."

Edwards's face remained stoic, but inside he was fighting a silent battle. He wanted to beg her to not say those words, to take them back. He didn't want to lose her! They were perfect together and she was throwing a chance at a great relationship away for the small possibility that it wouldn't work. He understood where she came from, she was afraid, but right now he really wanted to tell her that she was being really stupid too. But if he said those words out loud, he'd sound like a petulant child that wasn't getting his way.

"Is that how you really feel?" he ground out slowly.

They looked each other in the eye. Bella's stare near watering again and Edward's a mix of hurt, regret and just a hint of sadness.

"Is this.." his voice croaked slightly on the emotion. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Is this really what you want?\"

_Please don't say anything to change my mind! _she thought. _Be the kind of man I know you to be and give into my stupid request without any questions._

Bella blinked several times before she answered. "Yes."

She waited nervously for his response as he got up from the couch and walked towards the large window. He shoved his hands in his pants pockets and stared at the darkening sky as if it held the answers he had yet to find questions for.

"I won't stand in your way," he said without looking at her. "I can respect your decision."

She got up slowly, her bag dangling from the crook of her arm. Taking the few steps to the window, she should a about two feet away from him. The gold of the setting sun illuminated her profile, reminding him the beauty he saw in her. Her face was soft yet wrought with worry. He wanted to cup her face with his hands and kiss those worries away. But she's made the decision to keep it platonic. He realised that being her friend meant that he would be close to her all the time and never be able to touch her and hold her like he'd gotten used to in the last few weeks prior to their argument.

He took her hand and softly tugged her closer to him and quickly enveloped her in a hug. Friends were allowed to do that right? It took but a few seconds when he felt her raise her arms and hug him in return. They cared for each other. There's no denying that.

_I'm not going to give up on us_, he thought.

"What?" she whispered from the plateau of his chest.

Did he just say that out loud?

"Nothing," he whispered quickly. He pulled away from her slightly and looked her in the eye again. He leant forward, ignoring the quick gasp coming from her lips as she thought he was about to kiss her, but instead he placed his lips gently against her forehead. Like a father comforting a small child.

"Don't worry," he mouthed against her skin. "We're ok."

Bella hugged him one last time and pulled away. "I should be going before it gets really late."

She turned and walked towards the door.

"I'll walk you to your car," he offered.

"No, it's fine. I'm parked right near the entrance and Harry, the security guard, is right there."

"Are you sure?" he asked. "It'll just take me two minutes to gather my things and lock up."

"I'm sure." She paused at the open door. "I guess I'll see you around?"

He simply nodded and watched her step outside his office and down the passage.

As he listen to her footstep getting softer he quickly made way for the door and stepped into the passage.

"Bella?" he called after her just as she pressed the button for the elevator.

"Yeah?"

"Are friends allowed to take each other to lunch every now and then?"

She blinked not expecting that from him. "I guess."

"What about just hanging out? Maybe movies? Friends do those too right?"

"We'll see okay?" she answered and stepped into the elevator.

"Kay," he answered, but she was already out of hearing shot.

"Are you sure you did the right thing?" Alice's question was loaded with an undercurrent of concern. Bella had called the second she got home and told her the full tale of what happened in Edwards's office. The shock of literally running into him, something that entertained Alice greatly, and the even bigger shock finding out that she was now working for him, albeit temporarily.

Alice called it destiny, kismet. She figured they belonged in each other's lives and the stars were just trying to align themselves the right way. The only problem she, Alice, thought was that Bella was standing in the way of her own destiny. She was literally her own worst enemy.

"No," Bella answered her. "I'm not sure."

"Then why did you do it?" Alice screeched in Bella's ear.

"No need to make me deaf you know," Bella's reply came, dripping with sarcasm. "I'm not sure I did the right thing. I know Edward and I _could _be great, but that's a mere possibility. Right now his son is really important to him and I come second. I can't compete with that."

"You're not meant to compete with his son Bella,' Alice replied. "Given time all, of you would have adapted pretty well. There are many families like that."

"Yes, but what about his ex?"

"What about her? She's his ex. If he loved her, he would never have divorced her. So clearly…" Alice let her comment hang, hoping Bella understood.

Alice listened for Bella's reply, but she could barely hear her breathing on the other side of the line.

"You still there Bells?" she asked.

"Ya…Yeah, I'm here." She didn't offer more than the simple response.

"Honey, I know you're afraid. You've been hurt and you're afraid to give too much of yourself," Alice admonished while rubbing the dull ache on her lower back. "But I know you better than anyone and I know you care for him deeply. _This _misunderstanding was just that, a simple misunderstanding. The fact that he kept something like this from you, just made you realise how much you cared and _that _had you running scared! You're thinking the more you care for this man, the bigger the possibility was that it would be really painful if it didn't work out. You're throwing away your chance at a really great relationship because you're afraid."

Alice paused briefly to catch her breath. She was on a roll and she needed to say it all, even if her friend might be angry at her.

"You," she continued, "want to love this man. You're a changed person since he came into your life and I like it. You're relaxed and content and that was all his doing. You were happy Bella, but frankly you're afraid of being happy. In fact even if you took this chance and it was the best thing for you, you'd probably not give yourself over to the happiness completely simply because you'd be waiting for it to fall apart. So I suggest you take this brief stint of friendship between you guys and then you see how well exactly you would do without this man in your life."

The silence that followed had Alice wondering once again if Bella was still there. She'd said a lot now and probably not what Bella wanted to hear, but certainly _needed_ to hear. She was just about to add more to her verbal vomit when she heard Bella clear her throat.

"Are you done with that little speech of yours?" Bella asked her.

"Well, I've got way more to say, but I think you can only handle the rational me in small doses," Alice replied in a mocking tone. "I love you to bits, but you needed to hear that and I don't see anyone else around willing to chance it. So as your honorary _bff_, the duty befell me."

"Bff?" Bella asked mockingly. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, _best friends forever!_" Alice giggled.

"Alice! We're almost thirty, not thirteen!" she cried out, her indignant tone laced with humour and love for her _honorary bff. _

"The status quo of our friendship really isn't the topic of discussion here you know," Alice replied. 'Have you got nothing in response to all I just said to you?"

Bella sighed audibly and deliberately into the phone letting Alice know exactly how vexed she was without saying it out loud. "How about I say that I love you and love you even more because you're honest and frank with me? That you're the best friend a girl could ever have and you also happen to be carrying my favourite nephew right now?"

"Well those are all really great reasons." Alice's laughter tinkled over the phone. "The latter one being the best of course. I can't wait to see her." She affectionately ran her hand over her extremely rounded belly and softly patted the area where the baby nudged her. Her little princess was due any day now and like most new mothers she was plenty nervous but mostly she was done with being pregnant. Sure she glowed and blossomed according to her friends and family, but none of that made up for the aches and swelling and the fact that she could hardly move these days without any help. She figured she was more than ready to meet her baby and tackle the new adventure called motherhood.

"It's a boy," Bella broke through to her idle contemplation.

"_The baby _ is going to be here any day now, so I'm not even going to have this argument with you," she retorted. "Jasper's nerves are shot. He started his leave on Monday and I tell you it's actually been a bit of a nightmare! I love having my husband home, but he's a bit much."

"Really?" Bella asked. "What does he get up to?"

"Apart from the fact that he keeps making sure the house is properly baby proofed, knowing that the baby won't crawl for months and months from now, he also won't let me out of his sight!"

Bella laughed at her friend's outrage. "It can't be that bad?" she asked.

"Oh!" Bella could imagine Alice's face as she utter that simple word. "It's bad alright. If he could, he'd follow me into the bathroom! He's afraid I'll give birth in the toilet! How ridiculous is that?"

Again Bella could imagine Alice's face as she went about her little rant. She could just about see her friend swinging her hands in the as she talked about her husband's over protective ways.

"At least he worries Al," she told her friend gently. "Most men only get a week off work. Your husband took a whole month."

"Ya, I know," Alice replied with a defeated tone. She knew Bella was right. "He could have at least waited till the baby was actually here you know! That way I would welcome his hovering since it would then be the baby that would be his main concern."

"Oh suck it up Alice," Bella laughed. "You love the attention!"

Alice's laughter tinkled over the phone for the umpteenth time that evening. "Okay. Okay, I do!"

The phone call continued for another twenty minutes with the two friends throwing the light banter between them. Though their chatter moved from the baby to the baby's room, to the idea of giving birth that rather terrified Bella, she didn't quite get Edward out of her mind. He was a constant. She went bed that night with thoughts of him still in her mind and prayed that she didn't just make the stupidest mistake of her life.

As she laid her head on her pillow and tucked the edge of her blanket under her chin, she sent a silent prayer to God to just give her the strength to simply be friends with the man she cared most about.

With that thought on her mind she slowly drifted off to sleep.

**So friends huh? How often does that work out for people who broke up? Not without being very mature about it! Wonder how this will all turn out. **

**What do you think? Review if you'd like. **

**You're most welcome!**


	16. Chapter 16

**For the month so far, this story has a total of 188 visitors. I don't think it's bad. Lots of visitors, but few people reviewing. But that's ok. There are those few out there that made me feel good for their kind words.**

**Thank you.**

**So the last chapter was certainly very interesting. I'm the one writing the story, but I kinda think Bella is being overly stubborn. Seems she's her own worst enemy. But then that can be said for most women!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing Twilight Related, but soon I'll own a movie ticket to Breaking Dawn Part 1 of course.**

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

_Beep!_

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

The incessant beeping pulled Bella from her sleep. It's the first time in a long while that she actually managed to get a good nights sleep. Who knew that fighting with your ex and talking to your best friend about it, would be just the tonic that she needed? Of course the fact that the entire day before had been emotionally and physically draining and that was what really knocked her out for the night. She was too tired to keep her eyes open and worry away half the night about making stupid mistakes.

The beeping continued and Bella turned on her back and threw a sideways glance towards the bedside clock. The light flashed and angry red in the dark room. Three thirty am. She knew she hadn't set her alarm so early. It took her but another second or two to realise it was her phone making that horrible noise. Who could be called her at this time of the night?

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and reached for the phone, immediately answering when she saw Jasper's name on the dialling screen.

"Jasper!" She cried. "Is everything ok? Is Alice ok?"

"Oh thank God you answered!" his panicked voice came over the phone. "I'm really sorry for bothering you this time of the night, but yes Alice's going into labour like right now!"

He rambled the news in a rush, sounding somewhat out of breath.

"Jasper, honey, are you sure?" She hoped the tone of her voice could calm him down a bit. "You know sometimes these things can be a fluke."

"I'm pretty sure that her water breaking all over kitchen floor is a clear indicator that she's going into labour."

"What!" she practically screamed at him. "Oh my God! But what are you doing calling me? You should get her to the hospital."

"I've already got her in the car, but I forgot to pack the hospital bags last week when she told me and right now she's in too much pain to get a single coherent word out to tell me where she put it. I figured you'd know where she kept them?"

"Of course, sorry!" she replied as she jumped up and pulled on her jeans one handed. "Her bag and the baby bag is in the hall closet near the door. There's also a file on the side of the baby bag with all your medical and insurance details for the front desk when you book her in. Would you like me to meet you there and book her in that way you're not separated from her?"

"Thanks Bells. That'd be great." Relief was evident in his voice. "I know Alice wants you there. Meet you there in twenty?"

"Sure. Oh and don't forget the bag of candy in the cupboard next to the microwave in the kitchen," she reminded him. "Alice said if she's going to suffer through eating hospital food, she at least wants some guilty pleasures hidden in her bedside cubby."

Bella heard Jasper utter a relieved snicker as he ended the call. She put the phone down on the bed while she grabbed a t shirt and shoes. Pulling a cardigan from the closet, she grabbed her phone and handbag from the chair standing in the corner of the room. Making a quick detour in the kitchen she quickly unwrapped a health bar, practically swallowing it whole. She figured she wasn't going to get a lot of time to eat when she got to the hospital, or rather she was definitely not going to risk eating the cafeteria food.

Grabbing her keys from the counter, she launched herself out of the house and into her car.

As soon as the elevator stopped, Alice scrambled out and made her way to the front desk of the maternity ward. The nurse greeted her with a friendly and understanding smile.

"Has Alice Whitlock arrived yet?" she panted.

"Just hold a second?" The nurse turned towards her computer and punched in the name. After a few clicks, she turned back to Bella.

"Yes, about 10 minutes ago," the woman told her. "Are you family?"

"Practically. I'm Bella Swan. Would I be allowed to go see her?" Bella asked. Her feet were itching to get moving.

"Oh yes!" the nurse replied with a smile. "The Whitlocks specifically asked that you be sent to their room immediately. Apparently you're supposed to book her in downstairs as soon as you arrived?" A little bit of a smile played on her lips. She leaned slight over the high counter of the front desk and whispered to Bella.

"Mr Whitlock isn't exactly in the right frame of mind to answer all the right questions. The Mrs managed to tell us that you'd be able to take care of everything."

She glanced at her computer screen before going on. "They're in room four oh one, just down the hall on your right."

"Thank you!" Bella answered with a smile and sped down the passage toward the rooms.

She came to a screeching halt in front of room four oh one and tapped on the door lightly before opening. She found Alice in bed with some weird contraption strapped to her belly that apparently read the baby's heart rate and on her right was Jasper holding onto his wife's hand for dear life. He looked to be in as much pain as his wife was. His brow was furrowed and lined with worry. When he sighted Bella, relief washed over his features and the worry lines abated just a little bit.

"Look honey," he said to Alice. "Bella's here!"

"Oh great! You're here," Alice heaved between gulps of pain. Bella figured a contraction was in the works right then. "Thank you _so _much!"

"No need to thank me Al." She moved to her friends left, careful not to knock into any hospital equipment. Leaning over, she placed a quick kiss on Alice's brow, ignoring the slight perspiration coating her skin.

"How's everything going here?" she asked.

"Okay," Alice panted. "The nurse said I'm about seven or eight centre meters dilated. So Alexa will be here pretty soon."

"Alex," both Bella and Jasper responded automatically and broke out into a fit of giggles when they found Alice glaring at them indignantly.

"Sorry," Bella said showing her palms apologetically. "Force of habit. Anyway, how come it's all happening so soon anyway? You called me like twenty minutes ago and you're almost ready to give birth. Didn't know it happened that fast."

"Braxton Hicks," Jasper responded as his wife clenched his hand in yet another contraction. Bella flinched at the pain etched on her friends face. Whoever said giving birth was a beautiful thing, was telling lies. There was nothing pretty about Alice's face right now, not that she would say it out loud, it but clearly the pain was evident and she would definitely not want to be in her shoes right now. She held onto Alice's other hand and cast Jasper a questioning look.

"Alice has been having bad cramps since yesterday morning and she kept brushing it off as Braxton Hicks."

As he talked, he turned around and reached for a spoon full of ice chips to feed to Alice. "Braxton Hicks are cramps that make you think you're going into labour, but really it's just your body getting ready for the real thing. Anyway it wasn't until about twenty minutes before I called you that she woke me up and said her water broke. She was in the kitchen getting a snack when it happened. Silly girl even cleaned up herself before she came to get me."

He leaned over and gave her quick kiss on her forehead. "She's cool as a cucumber, this one. I was instantly panicked and thought calling you would be a better idea."

Bella's heart just melted as she watched the two of them. He was continually feeding her ice chips and wiping her face with a cold, damp cloth. The worry on his face was back when Alice hyperventilated through yet another contraction. He was right to worry. Anything could go wrong and she prayed that nothing did. The best she could do for them was get the paperwork done. She spotted the hospital bags on a chair in the corner and made her way to it. Opening the side zipper, she pulled out the envelope that contained all the information she needed and turned back to her best friends.

"Everything will be fine," she said as she kissed Alice one more time. "I can't wait to meet the baby. I'm going downstairs to finish your paperwork and by the time I get back I'm ready to welcome the newest Whitlock to the world."

"Thank you for doing this Bella." Jasper stepped away from his wife and stopped Bella at the door. "We really do appreciate you being here." He wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug.

"No thanks needed" she said against his chest. "Now go take care of my girl."

She pulled out of his hug and hurried down the passage yet again, hoping to get the paperwork over with as soon as possible.

It's been two hours already and Bella was sitting in the waiting room on the edge of her seat. She'd finished doing the paperwork for Alice more than an hour ago and the baby still hadn't arrived. Alice's mum, who lived three hours away, had been calling her every fifteen minutes so far, asking for an update. All Bella could tell her was they were still busy and that she would call her as soon as she herself knew what was going on.

Though the ward was full with moms that had just given birth or waiting to still go through, Alice was currently the only one that was in a deliver room right now. Bella watched as the nurses passed her door, running their errands and every few minutes one would pop in telling her that everything would be okay and that they would be out with some good news real soon. As she paced in a line on the floor from the window to the door, yet another nurse popped her head in the door. She was short and petite with a mop of curly brown hair. At first glance one would think she was just a girl, but on closer inspection, Liz noted that she was a good ten years older than Bella herself.

The diminutive nurse gave Bella a warm smile. "Family of yours dear?" she asked.

"Best friend," Bella answered. "More like my sister."

The nurse smiled again. \"Wouldn't be long now love.'

The words barely left her lips when Bella heard the distinct wail of a newborn making itself known to the world. Her heart quickened with joy and relief. Mostly relief.

"I guess that would be him then," the nurse beamed. "I'll come back soon to let you know what time you can go see them? Shouldn't be more than another thirty to forty five minutes or so. Think you can stand to wait a little longer?"

Bella could only nod her head vigorously. Words failed her right then. When the nurse turned and left, she fished out her mobile and texted Alice's family and their other friends.

_Heard the baby cry from down the hall! Alex or Alexa has finally arrived. Will be another 30 min before I know more. Will call as soon as I know more!_

For the next 45 minutes Bella kept pacing the small waiting room. Her body was tingling with excitement. She was anxious to go and see her best friend and her favourite niece or nephew. Just then the same petite nurse from earlier stepped into the small room with a big smile on her face.

"You can go see them now," she said. 'They're in room four oh seven. Just down that hall on your right."

"Thank you so much!" Bella beamed at her.

She hurried down the passage, pretty much like she'd done earlier that morning. The door was open this time. As she stepped into the room she immediately fished out her small digital camera from her bag. The moment was just too perfect not to try and capture it. Alice had a little white bundle in her arms, cooing down at the object of her affection. There was so much love in her eyes. As she reached over to brush the delicate brow of the baby with her fingers, Jasper leaned over and kissed her atop her own head.

The flash of the camera startled the new parents, but the smiles never left their faces.

"Don't," Alice groaned half heartedly. "I look terrible."

Bella stepped closer placing the camera and her bag on the visitors chair.

"No," she replied. "A little worse for wear, but absolutely beautiful."

"You're just saying that!" Alice said has she tried to flatten the wayward strands of her damp hair.

Bella raised herself and took a seat on the edge of the bed. She peered into Alice's arms and looked for tell tale signs for the gender of the baby. The hospital didn't even bother wrapping the baby in a distinctly blue or pink blanket, instead the gem was a cloud of fluffy white with its pink little face peeking out.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" she asked Alice without taking her eyes off the baby.

"Only if your promise to be godmother?"

Bella blinked at Alice and Jasper, who looked at her like she was the next best thing to their new baby.

"As if you would even need to ask!" she replied with a cheeky grin.

Alice adjusted the baby in her arms, leant forward and placed the little bundle in Bella's arms. The baby barely weighed anything and Bella tenderly shifted the bundle in her arms until she felt the baby was comfortable.

"Bella," Alice started. "I'd like you to introduce you favourite nephew, Alexander James Whitlock."

Bella beamed at the couple. "A little Alex then?"

Alice scowled slightly. "Don't you dare!"

"What?" Bella laughed. She really wanted to say _I told you so_ but even NOT saying it made Alice grind her teeth. She glanced at Japer and found him snickering behind Alice's shoulder and she winked at him quickly before her best friend caught them.

"I wouldn't dream of it," she said instead. She kissed the little boy on his soft furrowed brow. "Besides, you would have been my favourite whether you were an Alex or and Alexa."

Looking at the happy couple, she reached out to Alice with her free hand and held her friends hand in her own.

"You did real good," she told her friend.

**Tissue anyone? **

**I've actually attended the births of two of my nephew/godson. Crazy stress. Totally gross but sooooo emotional and beautiful when you look past the blood and other gross stuff! I was happy to be there for my friends but never again. Lol I think I scarred myself for life. **

**So what do you guys think? Any good. It was sans Edward in this chapter, but I felt the Alice and Bella moment was needed.**

**You're welcome to review you know… most welcome**


	17. Chapter 17

**November Stats: For the month of 2011-11, there have been a total of 1,152 Hits and 328 Visitors to all of your stories.**

**Now look at that. People might not be reviewing, well most people, but there are lots of you reading and I appreciate that. **

**Who's gone to see Breaking Dawn? Bet almost everyone has. Im only going to see it on the 28th. I'm one of those people that don't like a full cinema and a noisy audience.. So im waiting for it to quiet down a bit and then im off. I've told all my friends who've already watched it, not to breath a word of it to me. **

**Now last week's chapter was pretty emotional I think.. Wonder what's gonna happen this week? And as a treat. This one is slightly longer**

**Disclaimer: Do not own anything Twilight related, but pretty soon I'll own latest soundtrack. Just need to get my buttocks to the shop.**

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

It's been a month.

Thirty-one days.

Seven-hundred-and-forty-four hours since Bella and Edward had agreed to be just friends. Not only was it crazy and didn't make sense to even her, it was also torturous. She spent the past few weeks having lunch with him, sometimes even going out to dinner as friends. She thought she could handle it.

She did handle it.

Until she was out with her cousin Jasmine and saw him with another woman in the same restaurant. The first few minutes she's been watching them, she could still tell herself that they were just having a business dinner or maybe they were cousins or friends. That was until she saw them holding hands as they left the restaurant. When the woman leaned over and stood on her tip-toes and whispered intimately in his ear, Bella felt the knife in her gut twist even deeper and she struggled to keep herself together.

She watched them leave and felt Jasmine's hand on her arm. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied turning back to her cousin. "It was just a little weird seeing him out with someone else."

"Are you okay with that though?" Jasmine asked her. "I mean, you did tell me that you guys had agreed to be just friends for now."

"I know. I just didn't think it would be so soon." She looked in the direction of the door again. "It kind of hurts you know."

"It's been what? Four or five weeks?"

"Thirty-one days and three hours to be exact," Bella replied and picked at her shrimp starter avoiding eye contact with her cousin.

Jasmine snorted, "Guess who's not counting."

"I thought you were okay with all of this?" Jasmine asked again. "You know, a month in the dating world is pretty long. Most guys would've moved on within the first two weeks already. I mean you're the one that _dumped _him, so really you took away all rights from yourself to be upset about this."

_Trust Jasmine to be a bit too honest about this, _Bella thought. "I know. I know. I just didn't think it would hurt me like this. I thought I would be fine with everything by now. I mean, we didn't even really get to the part in our relationship where we said the 'L' word!"

"Just because you never said it, doesn't mean that neither of you felt it," Jasmine countered.

She grumbled at her cousin, who now wore a smirk because she knew she was right. Again.

Jasmine spent the rest of their dinner pointing out to Bella how most of her heartache was entirely her own fault and Bella spent it trying to avoid the subject and picking at her dinner. Her cousin could be a little too frank. She didn't like it one bit

Edward had just dropped off Amanda Brown at her apartment. He'd attempted having a good time with another woman that wasn't Bella and surprisingly he did. The only problem was that there was no spark. But then, did he really want that spark with a woman other than his Bella? If he were honest with himself, then the answer was clearly no.

Over the last few weeks he'd given Bella the opportunity to change her mind, sometimes even going as far as asking her if this _friendship _was what she truly wanted. But the woman stuck to her decision like gum on the bottom of a shoe. He'd suffered through lunch with her, trying to ignore the pull his body had towards her. Every touch now was supposed to mean something completely different. Before when he'd guided her to and from somewhere, his hand resting on the small of her back, it had meant in the most subtle way that he was telling the world that she was his. Now he simply guided her in the most polite and platonic way by resting his hand on her elbow.

As much as he loved spending time with Bella, he hated that he couldn't be at ease with her anymore. Often he would stop himself short from giving her a hug or a kiss, things that before were second nature to him. Now however he had to think twice.

His dinner with Amanda had been enjoyable. She was funny and witty and intelligent. He knew that under different circumstances he would have been drawn to her just as he had been drawn to Bella. But with Amanda that spark was just not there. He didn't feel that same pull. That same desire that made him want to throw caution to the wind.

He simply enjoyed their date for what it was. A nice time. He doubt he'd see her again and if he did, it would be as friends.

He shrugged off his coat as he entered his home and threw it over the back of a chocolate couch. His keys and mobile landed on the dark coffee table right in front of it. Making his way to the kitchen, he reached into the refrigerator for a cold beer, went back to the family room and dropped himself onto the couch he'd passed moments before. Reaching forward he grabbed the TV remote and channel hopped, hoping to find something that might peak his interest. He found nothing and left it on the cartoon network in the end.

For a few minutes he watched the adventures of Spungebob Squarepants, one of his son's favourite cartoon characters. The odd smirk or two painted his face when he found something amusing on the show, but it was not long when his mind wondered back to Bella and their current situation.

He missed her. He missed being able to act freely around her, to be able to touch her with affection like he'd done hundreds of times before. Things between them now were strained and oddly uncomfortable. They could both bear through the ruse of being friends, but behind that veil of deceit, their old feelings still lingered and coiled the heat inside them. It wasn't something you could just switch off. He attempted it with this date, but he knew it before agreeing to see Amanda tonight that it was a foolish solution.

Taking a last swig of his beer he wondered again how long this farce of a friendship would last. He wanted Bella back, but did not know how to prove to her that the two of them were worth it. His friend and partner, Avery, had convinced him to just go on a few dates to get Bella out of his system. He'd agreed, rather reluctantly, but he knew that if he didn't allow his life to move on, he'd be yearning after Bella for a long time.

Tonight was the first step, but the second he'd met Amanda at the restaurant, he knew that waiting for Bella was exactly what he was prepared to do. So right at the beginning of their date as they sat down, he told Amanda that as lovely as she was, he still had feelings for someone else and that he was sorry for wasting her time. He asked her to consider just spending a nice evening with him as friends. Surprisingly, she'd agreed. She simply told him that she understood and asked him about his relationship, or lack thereof, with Bella. He'd expected her to be angry and annoyed with him, but she really did understand. She explained that she too once loved someone and knew that it was never as easy as you wanted it to be.

They had a good time and Anthony was glad to end the evening with a new friend.

Bella squinted her eyes at the computer screen in front of her. She'd been working on the current string of packaging ideas for the project non-stop. She needed a break.

She glanced down at the digital clock in the corner of the computer screen. It was just the right time for lunch. She winched mentally when she realised that she had to spend it with Edward again. After seeing him with another woman last night, realising that he was in fact moving on, she didn't know if she could handle their almost daily lunches. She didn't have a good reason to bail out on him and telling him that she was too busy for lunch, was not something that he'd believe. He'd simply tell her that he was the boss and it was okay to play hooky, especially if she was doing it with him.

As she gathered her things with her bag, her door swung open and there stood the object of her thoughts. She furrowed her brow at him, wondering why he was here and not waiting for her on the ground floor. She gave him a quick once over. He looked good, as usual. He was wearing a charcoal pinstriped shirt, rolled up at the sleeves with a pale blue tie. His trousers were a matching flat charcoal that skimmed over his legs and ended over pair of shiny black dress shoes. The man knew how to dress. She had to give him that. The clothes fit him well.

As she completed giving him the once over, she noticed the brown paper bags in his hands. _Guess he brought lunch, _she thought. Immediately her insides twisted painfully when she remembered the last time he'd brought her something in a brown paper bag. The honey and almond layered cakes he brought along when she'd invited him to dinner at her place for the first time. She smiled wanly at him.

'I brought lunch,' he said raising the bags. 'I figured we could stay in today because of the weather.'

'Weather?'

He walked over to the flattened drawing table, pushing some of the sketches aside and began unpacking the lunches.

"Have you not looked outside today?" he asked.

She shook her head, put her things back on her desk and her bag back in the drawer where she usually kept it. As she walked his way, she glanced out the window and for the first time noted the downpour of rain.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "It's raining!"

"All these big windows you got here and you don't see the rain." The humour was evident in his voice. He handed her the clear container filled with chicken salad and three or four smaller tubs that were filled with different types of salad dressing.

"I figured I was safe with the chicken salad," he said. "You have it almost every single time we have lunch. I just couldn't remember which dressing you liked best."

"Thanks," she mumbled as she dragged an extra stool towards the drawing table. "You really didn't have to. Don't forget to let me know how much I owe you." She watched as he waved off the last comment with a flick of his hand. He was going to ignore that one, she figured.

She perched herself on the remaining stool and poked her fork into the salad, taking a quick bite. She hadn't realised she was so hungry. Opening up one of the dressings, she poured generous amount over the salad and immediately took another mouthful. As she glanced up at him, he was watching her with an amused smile displayed on his face.

"Hungry, are we?" he asked and took a bite of his own club sandwich.

She gulped down her bite and took a sip of the bottled water he had brought along.

"Sorry," she replied. "I skipped breakfast this morning and I got so busy here, I barely had time for a simple cup of coffee."

"You need to pace yourself," he replied. "You do good work. There's no need to push yourself."

"I'm not pushing myself. This is how I always work."

"Probably also how you burn yourself out as well?" His question was accompanied by a steady stare.

"I'm fine. I just get so caught up in my work, I forget to look up sometimes."

"Like I said, no need to push yourself too hard. Avery is very happy with the team's work. This project is off to a good start."

She blinked at him for a second. Was he really discussing her with his business partner and friend? She wasn't quite sure if she was comfortable with that.

"We don't talk about you," he said as if reading her mind. "All department heads submit a weekly report and you name came up a few times. You've impressed everyone."

"Thank you?" Her response sounded more like a question. She wasn't really sure what to do with the praise. Instead she took another gulp of her water and nearly choked when he asked her how her evening was. Muttering profusely how sorry she was, she wipe down the table where she's spilled some water.

"It was okay," she mumbled. She watched him through slanted eyes.

"How was yours?" she asked. "Do anything interesting?"

She watched as he paused for a moment and wondered if he was actually going to tell her. She was sure he hadn't seen her last night and if he did he'd made a pretty good show of ignoring her and she didn't think he was the type to do that. He cleared his throat and took another bit of his sandwich.

"I went out to dinner with a friend," he said. "It was… nice."

"Just nice?" She pried. She watched him openly now. When he took too long to answer, the words fell from her lips like sand slipping through her open fingers.

"I saw you at the restaurant last night!" she blurted out.

As the words escaped her mouth she quickly slapped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. She could only stare at him now with wide eyes. He in turn did the same, staring at her, his expression clearly confused and stunned.

"At the restaurant?"

She nodded and removed her hand from her mouth.

"Then why didn't you say anything?" he asked.

Bella pushed her almost empty dish aside and took another sip of water before she answered him.

"I figured you wouldn't want to be bothered while out on a date," she answered.

"Come on Bella," he replied with an exasperated tone. "I thought we were friends?"

Bella swore she heard a hint of anger when he said the word _friends. _She couldn't be sure, but given the situation they found themselves in, she couldn't put it past him.

"You guys were just leaving," she answered softly. "I saw you just as you left."

She watched him for another second or two. "So who was she?" she asked.

"Amanda?"

"If that's the name of the woman you were with last night, then yes."

"Amanda Brown," he said. "She's a financial consultant at some frontline bank. Nice girl."

His comment appeared to be off-handed.

"How did you guys meet?" Bella figured if she was going to be his friend, she might as well be a really good one.

"Blind date." He wasn't looking at her, instead very intent on finishing the last of his sandwich. "Avery attempted to set us up."

That peaked her interest. "Attempted?"

"Yeah, she's a nice girl. Pretty, intelligent and funny, but I just didn't feel that initial spark like I did with y…"

He stopped himself short. She knew what he was going to say. When they'd met their attraction was instantaneous. There was a definite spark. Bella looked past him, avoiding the sudden emotion in his eyes.

"I just didn't feel I'd pursue anything other than friendship," he continued. "She's a nice girl, but that's it."

"That's a pity," she mumbled, successfully keeping the smirk off her face. Secretly she was glad that he wasn't quite interested in someone else yet. He had full right to be, but it hurt a little to know he was ready to move on when she felt so reluctant to do the same. If either Jasmine or Alice were here now they would tell her that it was all entirely her fault. Something she knew quite well, but she was starting to realise that being Edward's friends was more torture than anything else. She missed having him as a partner. Missed laughing with him, sometimes even at him. Missed his attentive and sometimes overprotective nature.

She especially missed how he used to make her feel, how he still made her feel. The only difference now is she couldn't allow herself those feelings and often pretended she never did.

Bella dragged herself from her sombre thoughts and watched him bag the empty containers. When he was done, he stood watching her with his hands in his pockets. She felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth. She could tell he wanted to say something. Right now he resembled a schoolboy wanting to ask his crush to the school dance or something.

"Out with it," she said.

"Huh?" His puzzled expression almost made her giggle.

"You look like you want to say something."

"Oh… ya," he faltered for a second. "I was wondering if you had any plans on Friday evening?"

When her eyes grew large he quickly raised his hands. "No, no.. I'm not asking you on a date!"

Bella felt like he said that a little too quickly.

"I've spoken about you to my family, well my mom anyway, and they want to meet you." He looked at her for a moment, gauging her reaction.

"I know things are a little weird between us right now, but my mom keeps nagging me to bring you around." He watched her again for a reaction.

"She'd love you," he said quietly. "I want you to meet her."

Bella unconsciously bit her lip while thinking it over. "I don't know," she said slowly.

"Come on," he said giving her a cheeky grin. "Friends have dinner with each other's families, don't they? I promise you'll have a nice time. Besides dinner is more like pizza and a few board games than actually sitting down at the table."

"I…"

"Please?" He cocked his head to the side and attempted giving her some sad puppy-dog eyes. Or at least she thought that's what he was doing. She burst into a fit of giggles.

"Okay, okay," she sputtered. "On one condition!"

"What?" he asked pulling his face right and rewarding her with that smile she loved so much.

"You never try to pull that face again! It just doesn't work for you," she smirked. "Well maybe not in the way you wanted it to work."

He laughed and stuck out his hand for a shake. "Deal!"

Bella watched him leave her office with a happy bounce in his step. She knew what he was feeling. There was suddenly a sense a normalcy between them. Those last few minutes they felt like the two people who they truly were. She wondered if they could keep this up, if they would be true friends after all?

**Hmmmm… me thinks that Edward has a plan. Usually when two people break up, they tend to avoid each other. Seems Edward is not going to allow Bella that opportunity. **

**What did you think? It was a good moment between the two right?**

**Read and review! I'd love you for it**


	18. Chapter 18

November Stats: For the month of 2011-11, there have been a total of **1,633 Hits** and **466 Visitors** to all of your stories.

**Well look at that. The tally has gone up since the last time. So even though I know people are not reviewing at least I know they're reading and the stats are proof of that. At least that keeps me going. But people, please please please review! I don't want new readers reading the summery and seeing I got less then 20 reviews and then they assume the story sucks!**

**Anyhow.. I watched Breaking Dawn Part 1 tonight. I think I finally find Robert P beautiful. I before he was too boyish and really not that appealing.. But yoh… tonight the boy has reached level of hotness for me! Sorry Jasper, I still love you best though.**

**But on to the story though.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing Twilight related, but I do own the ticket stub from tonight's movie**

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Thursday evening Bella found herself at Alice's place with little AJ, as they've now resorted to calling him, nestled in her arms. As she held him, she realized that the light weight of the baby was oddly comforting. Being around him and Alice sort of slowed down her world and allowed her to breath freely. When she'd told Alice this, she was quickly told that AJ only seemed to behave with visitors around and rarely made a sound. It was at night however that AJ thought it was the perfect time to have a chat with his parents.

"I'm sure it can't be that bad?" Bella asked her.

"Oh!" Alice smirked. "Definitely bad. That little man," she said poking her finger at her baby, "seems to think he's the master of this house, but I've got a few tricks up my sleeves too. I just need to figure out exactly what they are exactly. I'm determined to get him into a routine as soon as possible."

Bella shushed the baby as he moved in his sleep. "I'm sure you'll get it right soon enough," she replied. "I'm sure it's worth it though?"

Alice's mock scowl was immediately replaced with a soppy smile. "Yes," she whispered, going all doe-eyed as she looked her son in her best friends arms.

"Sometimes I find myself getting up in the middle of the night just to check on him, but I end up standing at his crib for up to an hour just marvelling at how beautiful my son is."

Bella smiled. "And what does Jasper have to say about that?" she asked.

"Daddy laughs at me and tells me I'm a total softy, but his point becomes null and void when I catch him doing the exact same thing!" The laughter bubbled from Alice's lips, but she quickly covered her mouth with her hand, so that she didn't wake the sleeping baby.

"Anyway," Alice continued as she got her giggles under control. "How are things with you? You've been like a nervous chicken clucking away until I gave you AJ."

"No, I'm fine," Bella replied quickly. A little too quickly as far Alice was concerned.

"You do know I'm a woman right?" Alice quipped. "When a woman says _I'm fine _as quickly as you just did, you know everything is definitely _not _fine. What's up my friend?"

She moved to sit next to Bella. "I know I've been a little crazy with the baby and all, but you can tell you BFF anything."

Her words drew a small smile to Bella's lips.

"Edward is taking me to meet his family tomorrow night," she whispered softly as she tucked the edge of the blanket under AJ's little feet.

"Oh!" Alice's eyes grew wide at the news.

"Oh, would be right," Bella responded glumly. "I tried getting out of it, but he won't let me."

"Are you guys like dating again?" Bella definitely heard a hint of hope in Alice's question.

"No, nothing like that," she answered quickly. "He reasons that friends spends time with each other families and friends too."

She gently caressed her finger over the baby's brow. "I'm starting to hate that word," she muttered.

"What word?"

"_Friends"_' she spat in disgust.

"Well, you know it's y…."

"I know!" she interrupted Alice. "It's all my own fault. I realise now that I've made a stupid mistake. I don't know how to fix this."

'Tell him how you feel?'

"The man's going to think I'm crazy Al." she spat. "The one minute I'm all over him, the next I'm saying just be friends and now you want me to tell him I've changed my mind? How's that for being a little bipolar?"

"Honey, I think you're over thinking this. Clearly the man doesn't want to let you out of his life. He must still care for you. Under normal circumstances he would have left you alone and stayed out of your life, instead he truly did what you asked of him, just being your friend. I really don't think he's given up on you."

Alice's words rang true in Bella's ears. "Do you really think so?" she asked.

"I know so," came the confident reply. "You were afraid. You told me he said those exact words to you when you broke it off with him. I'm positive the man is just waiting for you to change you mind."

Bella handed the baby back to Alice and her chest heaved with a deep sigh. "I can't just say I've change my mind and I'm not crazy anymore. It's going to take more than that!"

"Tell you what, just go to this thing tomorrow and see how he treats you in front of his family. If he truly cares about you, he's bound to give it away. After that, have a talk with him. Just be honest. That is what you based your relationship on initially. It's still the best policy."

Bella leant over and gave her friend a quick hug, careful not to hurt the baby.

"You really are the best BFF," she whispered.

Bella stood in front of Edward's parents door. She was reluctant to ring the bell, still unsure if she was doing the right thing by going along with this. His car was parked in the drive.

This afternoon, during their regular lunch, he'd jotted down directions for her on a scrap piece of paper. When she'd queried a few turns he worried that she might get lost and had practically insisted that she drive with him right after work. His plan was that he'd take her there and either bring her back for her car or take her home and have a company car collect her at home in the morning. She'd immediately rejected that particular plan. If she was going to do this, she wanted the option of bailing out with her own car if things got too uncomfortable. Even _too comfortable _for that matter.

As she stood there mulling over the decision to go in or not, the door swung open. He stood there with all his bronze glory, a welcoming grin plastered on his face.

"I couldn't wait any longer for you to ring that bell," he laughed. "Come in! Everyone is excited to meet you."

"Way to make a girl get over her nerves," she grumbled stepping into the foyer. Immediately the aroma of something delicious wafted past her nose. "I thought Friday nights were pizza night?"

"Mom decided that your presence warranted for a special meal," he said taking her coat and hanging it on the coat rack behind the door.

"Good thing I brought dessert," she said holding up a brown paper bag, an action that drew a small smile to his lips.

He held her by the elbow and guided her towards the family room, but paused after a few steps.

"I'm glad you came," he said and suddenly engulfed her in a gentle hug. "Don't worry, they're going to love you."

Taking her by the hand he pulled her with him and Bella had a hard time remembering they were only friends and that his warm hand on hers was not supposed to make her heart flutter and her breath quicken. She tried to tug her hand loose, but he held tight and announced her to his family. She mentally cringed at being the centre of attention, but instead displayed a polite smile.

She loved his family instantly. His father was reluctant to avert his eyes from the game on the television, but managed to get up and like his son engulf her in a warm hug. He welcomed her quietly and quickly and as soon as she was passed on to Edward's mother, his father promptly returned to the television. Until dinner was served he barely looked up and only responded with a grunt or groan when spoken to.

"Don't mind Dad," Edward chuckled. "He rarely pays attention to anyone when there's a game on."

He then introduced her to his mother and Bella soon realised that Edward came from a family of huggers. She wasn't much for a display of affection except with those she held dearly, but with new comers she was more for a handshake than hug. But as his mother embraced her, she felt her genuine warmth envelope her. She realised she truly was welcome and her nerves left her like a cold mist when the sun finally came out.

As she stepped from Esme Cullen, the woman patted her hand gently and told her she was off to the kitchen to finish up dinner. Bella offered to help, but was quickly told she should stay put and enjoy herself with the rest of them.

"Oh," Bella started. "I brought apple crumble pie with ice cream." She held up the bag like she did in the foyer.

"Oh, how sweet of you dear!" Esme replied. "You really didn't have to."

"Could never come to dinner empty handed," Bella smiled bashfully and handed her the bag. "The crumble needs to go in the warmer."

Esme took the bag and on the way out the door she stopped next to her husband an whispered something in his ear. Whatever she said, earned her a quick kiss as a reward from her husband. She practically shimmied away from him and it was obvious her mood was a good one.

"I like them," Bella whispered to him as she looked around the room and realised someone was missing. "Hey, where's your sister? And your brother? Thought you said they were coming?"

"Bree's upstairs getting read and Emmet had to cancel. Rose has a bit of a stomach bug and they're worried it's contagious." He smiled and ran his hand through his hair before continuing. "But that didn't stop him from asking mom to keep leftovers. He hates missing mom's dinners."

The words barely left his mouth when Bella saw someone resembling Bree enter the room. She was pretty sure it was Bree, but the child, or rather young lady looked nothing like the brat she met that first time. Where the old Bree would have been dressed in worn jeans, dirty boots and an oversized hoody; the new Bree still wore jeans, but they were neither stained nor ripped and fit her snugly. Her feet were still adorned with boots, but they were light and tan had some fluffy faux fur peeking out at the top. She also wore a tan and chocolate striped jersey. She wasn't overly _girly_ but the change was dramatic and it caused her to turn to Edward with a raised brow. He simply smirked at her and mouthed that he would tell her later.

She was shocked when Bree, like the rest of the family, greeted her with a hug and a kiss. The she was stunned into silence when the girl apologised for smashing her car and acting like a total brat. It took her a while to convince the teenager that all was forgiven and forgotten. The more she talked with the girl the more she came to like her and found that she had quite a few things in common with Bree.

For the next fifteen minutes preceding dinner, they talked about school and Bree's plans for studying further. It seemed that Bree had an interest in design and didn't know which field of design to go into. It was the perfect opportunity for Bella to give her some guidance.

When Edward came to call them for dinner, she was surprised at how quickly the time flew already. She, along with the rest of the family, made their way to dining room where Esme had laid the table

"You should have let me help you set up," Bella told her.

"You're the guest dear," Edward's mother replied placing a jug of water and ice in the middle of the dining table. "Besides, while you were talking to Bree, I had my Edward help me. It's a nice change, the boys usually don't like to lift a finger unless you guilt them into it."

Bella smiled. Esme said it with love in her voice.

Bree laughed. "Emmet would argue that he always helps you and wouldn't have to be told twice."

Esme reached out and placed a kiss on Bree's forehead. "Emmet only does it because he knows food's coming and I'll allow him seconds or leftovers."

"The cheat!" Bree laughed. "He always claimed he got more because he was your favourite!"

Bella watched the friendly banter between them and thought to herself that this sort of loving camaraderie occurred often in this particular household. It made her miss being part of a family. She wasn't really close to her own family and had kind of taken to Alice and her family as her extended family. But watching Edward with his, she longed to have a family that belong to her only. Sure she loved her friends and cousins, but she always felt like the third wheel on a bike that wasn't a tricycle or the fifth wheel on the wagon; whichever analogy fit best.

Dinner was great. His mother had prepared a mouth-watering chilli paired with some pasta and a salad. According to Edward it was her signature dish when she wanted to impress new guests. Bella was well impressed and tried to press Esme for the recipe. Esme however laughed it off and wouldn't budge. It wasn't until she found out that Bella herself had baked the apple crumble that she was willing to exchange recipes. Bella was all too willing as her recipe wasn't a secret at all.

It was nearly midnight when Bella announced that it was time to go. As much as she enjoyed her evening with his family, she was tired and needed her bed. She said her goodbyes to each family member and promised Esme she would email her another favourite recipe of hers for a banana bread that made everyone lick their fingers.

Edward helped her into her coat and handed her at least three container in a bag carrying leftovers that she could have for lunch the next day. It was clearly too much, but she was touched by the gesture. She also figured that it was his way of making sure he got some of the loot too as they lunch together daily anyway.

"You don't have to follow me home you know," she told him. Both he and his mother insisted that he follow her home in his car to make sure she was safe and then he'd drive home to his own place afterward.

"I'm a gentleman," he replied carrying her leftovers for her. "And a gentleman always makes sure that a lady arrives home safely."

He clearly was not going to let her have her way. He stood at her door as she strapped herself in her seat. When she was done, he leant over her and placed her bag of containers on the passenger seat. His close proximity made her gasp. That together with the spicy aroma of his aftershave tickling her nose, immediately drove her senses into hyper drive and desire coiled in her centre. The realisation made her gasp for air and fidget unnecessarily.

"Are you okay?" he asked pulling himself upright.

"I…" she squeaked and cleared her throat. "I'm fine. I need to get going."

"I'll be right behind you," he said.

She couldn't start the car fast enough. She really wished he didn't have to follow her home, but at least he wasn't in the car with her. At least now she could even out her feelings as she drove home, keeping a watchful eye on the car behind her. As she stopped at her home, she hurriedly jumped out and locked up. Clutching the carrier of leftovers in her arms, she watched him pull up on the next to the curb in front of her house. She quickly signalled for him not to get out.

"You sure?" he asked after he wound down the window.

"Ya, I'm fine. I had a great time," she replied. "Thank you so much. Now get going and text me when you get home?"

"Sure," he smiled. "Now get inside so I know _you _are safe."

"Goodnight Edward," she called as she stepped inside.

**Edward is definitely showing this girl what she's missing by NOT dating him. He's just making himself more perfect in her eyes and roping his wonderful family into it.. Bella is coming around.**

**That last moment when he rolled down the window… I kinda got a Jacob feeling, but then Jacob doesn't feature in my story at all. Not as a bestie, not as a stalker and definitely not as the gay bestie. But yes, it really felt kinda Jacob-ie**

**I know you've enjoyed the read.. How about enjoying clicking on that review button? **

**I wanna feel the love**


	19. Chapter 19

**November Stats: For the month of 2011-11, there have been a total of 1,983 Hits and 558 Visitors to all of your stories.**

**December Stats: For the month of 2011-12, there have been a total of 59 Hits and 19 Visitors to all of your stories**

**I don't think the December stats are bad at all, especially considering the fact that I haven't posted anything for December as yet as numbers usually spike every Sunday or Monday when I post a new chapter. **

**Anyway last time Bella got to meet the parents in a round about kinda way. I think she's definitely coming around, though it's a slow and dreary process. I just want to shake her and tell her she's being stupid. **

**But lets see what happens in chapter 19 instead.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Twilight related, except for the second set of tickets stubs from Breaking Dawn part 1. I might even end up owning a third set of tickets as a friend wants me to go with her tomorrow. We'll see.**

CHAPTER NINETEEN

The next few weeks passed quickly for Edward. He and Bella still managed to stay _friends, _but were still both very aware of the undercurrent of attraction that they felt for each other. At least, Edward hoped and thought that Bella felt that way too.

Often he'd find that if they were standing too close or almost touching in a manner that was almost intimate, Bella would catch her breath. He had to admit to himself that sometimes he felt a little satisfaction when he saw her react like that. And if he really looked just a little deeper, he knew that there were times when he forced that reaction from her deliberately. Like the times when he'd reach for the pitcher of juice or bottle of wine at the dinner table, he'd intentionally let his arm or hand brush against her. The sound of her breath hitching was like music to his ears.

Of course no one would know that he elicited the same torture to himself when he played with her like that. Every second his spent with her or even away from her, he yearned for her. The ache inside him became as familiar to him as Friday night family dinners. Something so regular, that when it didn't happen, your week was completely out of sync. He'd come to expect the dull ache inside him; almost welcomed it because it reminded him of what he felt for her.

As thoughts of Bella and his family crossed his mind, he came to realise that Bella combined with his family, was something that was becoming regular too. He welcomed the revelation. He wanted her in his life and in the lives of his family. Since the first night she had been over for dinner, Bella's been over practically every Friday after that. If he thought about it, it was exactly about 5 weeks since that first Friday dinner. So far she'd missed out on only one, but she'd been to several other family dinners midweek. that more than made up for it. His mother made him invite her every single week, but it wasn't really a request he was reluctant to do. So Instead of just Edward asking her to family dinners, he laid on the guilt by telling her that it was his mother request and she would be hurt if Bella were to say no. Bella tried to cop out of it every single time, some half-hearted excuse about not wanting to intrude. Rolling his eyes as a response usually was the key to letting her know that he didn't buy it.

His family adored her and loved having her around. There really was no excuse she could think of that would make them take no for an answer. His mom allowed her to help in the kitchen, which was a wonder in itself, as the kitchen was always a _mom-zone. _Though since mother had found out that getting Bella to help out would mutually benefit them both, they had become fast friends and mom pretty much treated her like a daughter. And _daughters_, his mother had decided were not allowed to skip family dinners.

Edward had called her this afternoon to remind her that she shouldn't forget her weekly appointment with the Cullens. He didn't really need to remind her anymore that she wasn't allowed to bail, but he knew it got under her skin ever so slightly when he did that.

"I won't forget Edward," she answered the phone without saying hello. "I need to go home first to pick up dessert." She sounded just a little bit exasperated.

"Uhm, how did you know it was me?"

"Because it's four pm and you call me every singly Friday around this time," she quipped back at him.

"I do?"

"Yep," making her answer end with and audible pop. "Like clockwork."

"Oh, sorry?" he'd chuckled. "So, we'll see you at six?"

"Yes," she sighed. "Like you do every other Friday. Even if I wanted to forget, you won't let me. Anyway, I've got things to do till then, so I'll see you later okay?"

"Sure," he replied. "Six it is."

He hadn't realised that he was a little overbearing like that. It's just that if he'd given Bella a chance to bolt, she probably would and he was not about to let that happen. He needed a plan to keep her around and for now that plan involved getting his family stuck on her like a good dollop of glue.

His mother lectured him constantly about making work of getting Bella back. He had a hard time explaining to her that things were a little more complicated than that. But damn if he wasn't going to make Bella realise exactly what she's missing.

Edward planned on introducing Bella to his boy tonight. He'd just let her in at the front door and she'd looked beautiful as usual, wearing her standard fitted jeans paired with a white tank and a royal blue cardigan. He gave her a friendly hug in the foyer and they made their way to the kitchen. Elliot was helping his grandmother in the kitchen when he and Bella came in carrying yet another new dessert she wanted to try out on the family. It had now become a standard that Bella took care of dessert.

"Hey Champ," he called over to his son. "Daddy would like you to meet someone."

Elliot was sitting at the table on a kitchen chair with the seating elevated by a stack of useless telephone guides. He was helping Nanna Esme make pizza, though his job was more about separating the black from the green olives rather than making actual pizza.

"Daddy!" he squealed in response and tried to jump off the stack of books.

"Whoa there kid," Edward said as he grabbed Elliot mid air. "The ground's pretty far. Don't want you to hurt yourself."

In one swoop he deposited Elliot on his back and turned to Bella.

"This is Daddy's friend Bella. Why don't you say hello."

Elliot's light grey eyes watched Bella from atop his father's back and decided in his five year old mind, that Bella was a pretty lady. She had a nice smile and he was sure she had dessert in her hands. He figured that was enough.

"Are you going to marry my Daddy?"

Both Edward and Bella sputtered at the question. Neither prepared for it and both trying to ignore the snicker coming from Esme who was still cutting up toppings for the pizza. Edward glanced his mother's way and she winked at him. She actually winked at him! Something tells him that his son did not come up with that particular question all by himself. He frowned disapprovingly at his mother and swung his son down to the floor intending to set him straight.

"No sweetie," Bella answered instead.

She crouched down to his son's level and beamed at him. "I'm a friend sweetie. I've no plans to marry your daddy."

The little boy looked at her quietly and kind of cocked his head to the side. Like a little puppy that liked the sound of your voice, but had no idea what you were saying.

"I don't know," he said pensively and then suddenly smiled broadly. "I think you should! You're pretty."

And with that he turned around, slowly clambered on his chair to get back to the job at hand.

Belle turned to Edward and mouthed "What was that?"

He simply smirked and shrugged. He wouldn't tell her, but he wasn't completely apposed to the idea of marrying Bella. Somewhere in the distant future of course, but the idea appealed to him very, very much.

The rest of the evening was spent having too much pizza and some of Bella's great chocolate brownies and ice cream topped with hot mixed berries. They also played some fun board games that was appropriate for five year olds too and at every game Elliot decided that Bella would be his partner and she was a willing participant.

By nine his boy had fallen asleep beside Bella on the couch with his head resting against her arm. She was forced to sit very still and trying not to disturb him as she watched everyone else play a game of snakes and ladders. Edward moved to pick him up and put him to bed in one of the spare rooms upstairs. Bella would hear nothing of it.

"Leave him," she whispered. "He's comfortable. You'll only wake him."

"Besides," she said smiling down at the boy. "I kinda like it."

Edward grinned. He wasn't going to complain. It was just another part of the bigger picture that he liked.

"So are you all set for tomorrow Alice?" Bella asked as she helped her friend pack away the latest load of AJ's laundry. It seems that it was one of the things Alice was always doing when Bella came visiting. She didn't mind helping out, though she would never tell Alice that she really timed her visits carefully. Conveniently right after bath time when AJ was fresh and smelled like babies should.

"Yep," her friend replied. "The finger foods and cakes will be arriving while we're all in church for the baptism. Jasmine said she'd stick around here for that. I gave instructions as to where everything goes. Drinks are all stocked in the basement fridges and of course you're here to help me put up all the decorations tonight already."

"I'm impressed," Bella replied putting away the last pair of baby socks in the top draw. "You've thought of everything."

She turned to Alice who was folding the last of the blankets on the single bed stationed in AJ's room. Alice had insisted from the beginning that AJ slept in his own room, but she kept the bed here for when he was restless at night and just wanted to feel his mom or dad close by. If he was being restless, she'd pick him up and hold him up and rock him to sleep. If he was up for a crazy night, she'd lie down on the bed next to the crib and sing him till he calmed down. The system seemed to work for them.

Bella bent over and picked the other folded blankets and tucked them inside the cupboard on the top shelf.

"You do realise this is only a baptism?" she asked Alice.

Alice gasped in mock horror and clasped her hands over her heart.

"It's AJ's first official party!" she squealed. "I've got to have the best for my little boy."

Bella laughed and rolled her eyes at her friend.

"Come on," she said grabbing onto Alice's hand and pulled her up. "If you're going to put me to work, lets get it over and done with now."

For the next three hours they worked together to decorate the main lounge. Bella didn't understand why Emma was going through so much effort as it was only close friends and family that were attending, but as a good friend she just followed her friends lead. She came bearing bags full decorations like streamers, balloons and stick on stars and pictures that followed the nursery rhyme theme _Twinkle, twinkle Little Star. _Gold glitter stars hung from the ceiling and helium inflated balloons.

When Alice had told her about an hour into the task that she was to glue tuffs of soft cotton balls to the floating balloons, she could only stare at her wide eyed.

"Don't you think that's going a bit too far?" she asked.

"They're clouds!" Alice exclaimed. "Anyway did you remember to invite Edward?"

Bella glared at her. Alice had a way with changing the subject when it suited her best. The little imp was looking at her with a very satisfied glint in her eye. She knew that talk of Edward made Bella a rather reluctant participant in the conversation.

"I did, but what I don't really understand why you want him here anyway," she grumbled.

Alice simply stared at her, the expression on her face filled with doubt. "Are you sure you actually asked him?"

"I did!" she screeched slightly irritated. "But again, why does he need to be here? You don't even know him."

"That's why," Alice pointed out.

Bella frowned. "That's why what?"

"The fact that _you're _hanging out with a guy every single day at work and twice a week after hours and as your _bff_ I've never met him. It just doesn't seem right. I need to observe, evaluate and pass judgement whether he's good enough for my best friend or not. Hence the invitation."

Bella watched her friend and really wanted to wipe the smirk off her face, but unfortunately she'd already asked Edward and he already said yes.

"Fine," she muttered instead. "He'll be here the same time as everyone else. At least you won't have too much private time with him to try and give him the third degree."

"I'll work it in there somewhere," Alice smirked again.

"Please don't," she replied and rather forcibly stuck some cotton ball fluff on the sticky spray coated balloon. "Anyway, stop talking, we've got clouds to finish."

She heard Alice snort and giggle to her far right and resisted the urge to stick some fluff to her friends hair.

Bella stood in AJ's room holding the sleeping baby in her arms. The party was full swing inside, but AJ was barely two months old and really was more into his bottle, sleeping or getting someone to change his diaper, than entertaining guests with dimpled smiles that was nothing but gas.

The baby was getting restless from being passed from one adult to the next and Bella offered to lay him down for his afternoon nap. She'd come to his room, closed the door and pressed play on a portable cd player that stood on top of the dresser. Soon the sounds of a classical lullaby filled the room. It always seemed to sooth the baby and calm him down. Alice though, thought her son was a genius and would play a classical instrument some day. She was completely ready to buy a violin or piano for him. It took Bella and Jasper quite some time to talk her out of it.

The memory of that particular conversation made Bella smile and she snuggled the baby a little closer and hummed to the melody while basking in the sun flooding the room. As she rocked the baby side to side, she heard the door click open quietly, assuming it was Alice coming to check on them.

"So this is where you've been hiding."

It was Edward.

She turned to him slowly and cocked a questioning brow at him.

"Alice wondered if you were going to bother coming back to the party?" he asked.

"I couldn't put him down," she whisper softly.

She watched as he slowly stepped inside the room closing the door behind him. He came to stand in front of her, angling his head to peer at the baby.

"He can't stay there forever," he said then smiled. "Though as part of the male species, he's probably most comfortable right where he is."

Bella's eyes went wide and her face flushed in the softest of pinks. The blush made Edward chuckle. He missed that about her.

"I meant your heartbeat," he said. "The rhythm calms them and takes them back to the womb."

Bella simply rolled her eyes at him. It might be true, but it certainly was not what he really said. She turned her back to him and walked towards the crib. Ever so slowly, she gently laid the baby down. When he fussed a little, she cooed over him and gently rubbed his back until he was settled.

She momentarily forgot that Edward was still in the room with her, until she straightened up and found him next to her still.

"Sometimes I still wish that Elliot was that little," he told her softly.

He watched her face for a bit as she stared down at the baby. The silence made her look up at him and her breathing suddenly became shallow and slightly laboured. He was watching her with the most intense expression. His eyes reflected admiration and respect and somehow it was all mingled up with want.

He was going to kiss her. She just knew it. The question was, was she going to let him?

"You'll be wonderful mother," he whispered. "You'll be beautiful. Motherhood would suit you."

Bella couldn't answer him. In slow motion she watched as he lowered his face to hers. When his lips touched the corner of her mouth, she released a ragged breath that caressed his cheek. She hadn't been aware that she'd been holding her breath.

"But then," he whispered again, the movement of his lips teasing her own. "You've always been beautiful to me."

Bella breathed in deeply as the sound of his voice enflamed her centre. She shifted her weight slightly and felt his arm move around her waist. Thoughts of the baby emerged in the back of her mind and smiled a little knowing that at least AJ couldn't tell on her. It was on her mind to tell Edward that this was not the best place when he cupped her face and placed his lips on hers.

Bella's body practically buzzed with that kiss. There was nothing heated or overly passionate about it, instead it was gentle and soft and spoke volumes filled with promises and possibilities. Before she could take the thought further, she heard the faint click-clack of heeled shoes coming down the hall. Edward pulled away from her slightly, but still close enough that his lips and nose brushed against hers intimately.

"I don't want to be _just_ friends anymore," he whispered. "I don't want to let you go."

The footsteps were getting closer and Bella had yet to say a thing. As she looked at him and stared into those soulful eyes, she realised that _this _was her moment. Even though that footstep that were so near was really bad timing, she knew that Edward had just given her the opportunity to let him know she was not running from him anymore.

"Can…" she squeaked and cleared her throat. "Can we talk about this tomorrow? Come to my place for lunch?"

She suddenly saw the light fade from his eyes.

"No, no!" she exclaimed. "This will be a good lunch."

She kissed him quickly, the slightest of pecks on his lips. "I don't want to be just friends either."

**Finally! Something is about to happen. Im so glad Edward didn't give up. Like most women, Bella is afraid to take the first step and are always looking for a sign that the guy feels the same way. I guess Edward just gave Bella a pretty big sign!**

**Please review… I would love it if you did.**


	20. AN

**Hi everyone.**

**Im really sorry for not updating. Believe me I want to, but I haven't had the time. I know. Totally bad of me. **

**I photographed a wedding two weeks ago (hobbie of mine) and I've been spending my evenings editing photos. I just wanna get it done, especially as the holidays are just a few days away.**

**I'll get back on track I promise!**

**Keep reading**

**Much love**

**Navalia**


	21. Chapter 20

**December Stats: For the month of 2011-12, there have been a total of 1,202 Hits and 372 Visitors to all of your stories.**

**Hmmm considering the fact that I haven't updated in about two weeks, I think those are pretty great stats!**

**Either I feel kinda bad for being so quiet, but hey I had those photos I needed to edit and I finally finished them on Christmas Eve. After tomorrow im back to them however, have to make a disk with the photos on a slideshow with some romantic fluffy music..**

**Anyway im sure you've been waiting to hear what happens next.. Believe me, stuff happens!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Twilight, except the tickets from going to see Breaking Dawn Part1, 3 times**

CHAPTER TWENTY

Bella slowly drove on main on her way home from AJ's baptism party. She'd promised Edward that she would text him as soon as she got home, but it seemed that might be a while yet. Traffic was oddly congested and slow on this hot Sunday afternoon. She craned her neck as if she could peek over all the cars in front of her, but the line seemed never ending and unmoving.

She thought back to the kiss between herself and Edward. She couldn't believe that she almost let him ravage her right there in the baby's room. What kind of an aunt would that make her?

_Not a very good one, _she thought as she wiped the back of her hand over her forehead.

The perspiration stuck to her skin and she wasn't sure whether it was the blistering heat from outside or the memory of the kiss that had her so flushed. She wiped her forehead again and then quickly rolled down the window to let some air in. She turned towards her sound system and turned the volume knob a little more right so that it was loud enough for her to sing along to her favourite tunes.

The traffic moved forward at a too slow pace, but more often than not, it stood still. She patiently tapped her finger to the rhythm of the track playing. She was not paying attention to anything, but waiting on any sign of movement from the car in front of her. While staring blindly at the grey bumper ahead, she saw the flash of a brown and black tee shirt in her side view mirror. A young boy… man? was running between the stationary vehicles. She expected him to run past her.

She watched him…as if in slow motion. Her breath quickened as she realised that he wasn't moving past her vehicle. She immediately thought _hi-jacking!_ The thought was quick. Too quick to take any sort of action. Her breathing stopped when saw his hand reaching inside her car. Through the window she herself had left open. Something she never did cause she was exactly afraid of these sort of situations and now it was actually happening to her.

His large hand zoomed in on her face, getting larger in those split seconds. She felt a harsh tug at her neck and just like that he was gone. The car jerked as it died and came to a complete still. In her shock she'd moved her foot from the clutch and the engine died. She blink furiously and the breath she was holding left her so that even her body jerked in fear. Somewhere in the back of her mind something told her to take action and she started the car quickly, her fingers fumbling with the keys even though it was firmly in the ignition. As the car started she looked around her wildly and saw the thief dodging moving cars and then people and then jumped over a fence and disappeared between a cluster of tall buildings.

He'd stolen her gold chain. One of the few items of jewellery she wore and he'd just run by and grabbed it from around her neck.

She turned up her window and as her car moved forward. A frown painted her face. Of all the stupid things to do, driving with your window down in bumper to bumper traffic… it was just an invitations for this sort of thing. Something she never thought would happen to her.

Her skin felt hot and tingly from where his hand had grazed her. She realised now, that he must have been watching her the whole time to target just the chain around her neck. The congested traffic would not have allowed him to take more. She rubbed her hands over the area. She could still feel the weird sensation of him grabbing the chain and realised that she never felt the tug of the chain itself breaking. She'd always thought that someone grabbing a piece of jewellery from your neck would dig into your skin and hurt more.

The traffic was moving forward now at a good pace. She found herself in her own driveway in minutes, but didn't move. Her neck still burned and her ears were ringing. She rubbed her neck again. She wondered how long she would feel like that. She was not particularly afraid. A little bit freaked out yes. She'd never been a victim or crime before and thanked her lucky stars it was a petty one.

It could have been so much worse.

Taking a deep breath, she gathered her things and made her way indoors. As she passed her couch in the lounge, she dropped her things and practically ran to the kitchen. She needed to calm her nerves and was on a look out for a double-of-whatever. Finding a bottle of brandy that was usually reserved for cooking, she poured some in a glass, not caring that half of it spilled on the counter too.

Taking a deep breath, she swallowed quickly and winced at the burn it caused,. Rubbing her chest she pressed her forehead against the cold fridge door and waited for her biting nerves to take a step away from the edge.

Edward had been at home for about ten minutes already and he was still waiting to hear from Bella. He'd seen her off at her friend Alice's place. He would have insisted on driving behind her to know that she was safe, but decided against it as he did not want to crowd her when she'd so readily agreed to speak to him tomorrow. But Bella was usually so good at humouring him when it came to her safety. She should have texted him by now and he was getting worried.

He pulled his mobile from his pocket and punched her number from memory. The screen instantly flashed with her name as it started to ring.

One ring.

Two rings.

Three. Four and five. Just as he thought she wasn't going to pick up, she answered.

"Hey," he replied. "I couldn't wait any longer for you to text me. You okay?"

He heard her take a deep breath. "No, no, I'm fine," she answered. "I'm just a little out of it."

She sounded off. Her voice strangely strangled?

"What's wrong Bella?"

"N.. nothing," she stuttered. "Something happened on the way home, but I'm fine. You don't have to worry."

Edward took a deep breath. When a woman said she was fine, it usually meant she wasn't.

"What happened?" His voice held finality. "Please just tell me."

He waited as she silently contemplated telling him and finally answering him a few loaded seconds later.

"I was sitting in bumper to bumper traffic with my window rolled down," she started and cleared her throat. "It happened so fast. I never thought something like that could ever happen to me."

"Bella," he moaned in frustration. There was silence again for a second or two.

"Some guy was running between the cars and he stopped at mine. Before I could even think to do anything, he reached in and grabbed my gold chain from my neck! That's all he took. Nothing else. He ran off again."

The words left her lips in a rush and he heard her practically heave for the next breath of air. His heart clenched in instant fear! His Bella had been in danger. He knew he should have followed her home to make sure she was safe. A painful knot twisted his stomach and he dug the heel of his hand trying to rub the fear away.

"I'll be right there," he said cutting her off.

"You really didn't have to come you know," Bella said as Edward handed her a hot cup of tea where she was curled up on the couch.

He'd arrived at her place minutes after he'd ended the call. When she'd opened the door, he'd taken her into his arms immediately, hugging her tightly to him. Then he'd pushed her away, turning her this way and that way, apparently checking for any injuries. He'd caught sight of the enflamed redness on her neck and when she told him that the guy kind of scratched her when he grabbed the chain, a line of profanities left his lips.

His frantic concern made her own fears ebb away and warmed her heart instead. She literally had to grab his face between her hands and hold him still to slowly tell him she was fine and worse could have happened. He only promised to calm down if she in turn allowed him to draw her a hot bath and made her a cup of tea. She was eternally grateful to him. Having him near took her mind off what happened and put it on the two of them instead. She loved that he cared so much.

"There's a little something stronger in there too," he told her as he handed her the tea. He took a seat next to her and pulled her into his arms.

No hesitation. No games.

She belonged there.

He pulled her tight and she snaked her arms around his middle.

"I'm glad you're okay," he said kissing her right temple.

She snuggled a little closer and breathed him in deeply.

"I know this leaves the floor open for a conversation about us," she whispered. "But do you mind if we can just talk about that tomorrow? I just want to stay like this for a while."

"It can wait. You relax," he said and pulled her even closer.

"You're too good for me," she whispered softly. She didn't think he heard her as he flipped on the television to some random channel.

A contented sigh escaped her lips and she leaned comfortably against him with his arm still wrapped around her.

Edward turned in his sleep and found that he couldn't move. He tried again and was unsuccessful the second time. He groggily opened his eyes and found that his arm was trapped underneath Bella. They'd fallen asleep on the couch.

He stared at her face that was slightly illuminated by the glare of the television that was still playing. She was comfortably snuggled in the crook of his arm, her head resting against his shoulder. She felt soft and warm and he loved having her in his arms again. He missed her.

He angled himself slightly and very awkwardly so not to move her, to get hold of his mobile that was lying face down on the far end of the couch. When the backlight lit up the clock, he groaned. It was almost two in the morning. He couldn't stay here all night.

Deciding not to wake her, he opted to carry her to bed and let himself out. He secured his arm behind her back and his other under the curve of her legs. Steadying his weight, he got up slowly, making sure he didn't falter for fear of dropping her. Bella only snuggled up closer and in her comfortable sleep, she moved her face into his neck. Her lips brushed against his skin and he instantly felt desire wake in his groin. _This is not the time for lusting after a woman, especially when she's sleeping, _he thought to himself. He breathed deeply and kept moving towards the master bedroom.

Pushing open the door with toe of his shoe, he noticed the adjoining bathroom light lit up the room ever so slightly. He was glad for the light. He would not have wanted to be stumbling around in the dark. He stood next to the bed, spread his weight evenly and then slowly laid her down in bed. She immediately held on to the pillow as she had him and he missed the weight in his arms already. Taking a quick glance of the room, he found a spare duvet folded on the armchair. He gently laid it on top of her. He watched her for a few seconds and bent down, where he then brushed his lips against her warm forehead.

Tip toeing away from her, he went to switch off the bathroom light, but the sound of her stopped him.

"Where are you going?" she asked, her voice thick with sleep.

"Home?" It came out sounding more like a question.

"It's almost two in the morning," he said as way of explanation.

Bella moved and rested her upper body on her elbow while rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Don't go," she said.

Edward breathed deeply and wondered if he heard her right.

"I want you to stay," she whispered.

"Are you sure?"

She simply nodded.

Bella watched Edward as he got into bed beside her. He chucked of his shoes and jeans and kept his boxers and t-shirt on. She thought asking him to stay would have been awkward, but he seemed pleased that she'd asked. She knew then that he _wanted _to stay.

The mattress shifted under his weight and he drew the duvet over them. He reached around her, making sure she was tucked in, the move bringing his face inches from hers. When he secured the duvet behind her back, she thought he would move back again, but instead dropped his arm and pulled her really close. Her breath hitched at the contact.

"I've missed you," he whispered.

She frowned. "You've seen me almost everyday the past few months."

"No," his voice broke. "I've missed _you."_

She knew then what he meant. He might have made a stupid mistake by not telling her about his son, but she let pride and fear get in their way. _She _was the reason they'd been apart. Not the choices he made, but the choices she refused to face. She didn't deserve a man like him. He'd waited. No other man would have done that.

"I've missed you too," she whispered.

The words barely left her lips when his mouth captured hers. The kiss was soft and slow, but filled with hunger, need and love. She knew it. This was the end of a game she didn't even realise she'd been playing. His mouth moved against hers, his tongue parting her lips slowly. He tasted of mint and a hint of cherry. She vaguely thought that he must have used the mouthwash in her bathroom earlier, but that thought quickly passed as his hand that had been on the small of her back, moved to her rear and pulled her into him. She instantly became aware of his arousal as it pulsed against her midsection and her own wakened in turn.

His hands did things to her. Things she thought she knew all about, but realised now that she'd never felt them like this before. The heat. The intensity. The hunger. It made her feel like she was at the edge of control and about to explode.

His fingers caressed the skin exposed under the hem of her t-shirt. She moaned into his mouth as his touch left a blazing trail along her midriff. The fire reminded her that she needed to feel him too. Feel his hot skin under her fingertips. As his lips lefts hers and he placed kisses upon kisses from her lips, to her neck and her collarbone, she dug her fingers under the material covering his chest and grazed them leisurely over the well defined muscles hidden there. His body quaked at her touch and she didn't doubt that she could do things to him too. She was more than happy to oblige.

Too soon he moved his lips away from her, gently pushing her onto her back. She whimpered in protest when he leaned over her, but didn't get back to kissing her.

"If we're going to do this," he started, "I need you to understand that I can't go back to being _just friends._ I care about you too much and I'm not willing to let you go."

He stared at her intently, his gaze penetrating. "Are you okay with that?" he asked.

"Yes," she whispered. Her need to be with him did not allow her to say more.

She reached for him behind his neck and pulled him down to her. This time it was she that captured his mouth with hers. She bent her knee, trying to get more comfortable and her leg brushed against his arousal. He groaned and his chest reverberated. He pulled away from her again, but this time to remove his t-shirt.

He sat there watching her, his eyes roving over her body. She felt like warm delicious liquid the way he was looking at her. He reached out and ran his hand over her hip and then grabbed her hand that was resting beside her. His fingers curled around her wrist and then on one fluid motion he pulled her up into a sitting position. She rested a hand against his bare chest and then felt him tug at the hem of her t-shirt. He was pushing it up touch more of her skin, but then she raised her arms. An invitation for him to just take it off.

The rest of her clothing soon followed and she was completely exposed to him. Completely vulnerable.

"Beautiful," he whispered.

And then he held her.

Shut his eyes and held her like a man that considered touching her a sacred experience. She had never been held like that and the notion positively made her swoon and melt into his arms. It was then that he laid her down again and prompted her body to reach heights she's never reached before.

His touch sent her senses into a frenzy. She couldn't get enough air. She couldn't breath deeply enough. When he touched her core with his fingers, it took everything in her not to fall apart right there and then. Instead she maneuvered the last bits of clothing off him and admired his nakedness.

He was magnificent. Quite possibly the most beautiful creature she'd ever seen.

Together they danced. That is what their love making felt like to Bella. Like music. A sensuous dance that only the two of them could partake in. The high notes had her keening and withering in pleasure and when Edward finally seethed himself in her, his name was the only word she knew. She moaned it in pleasure, whispered in joy and screamed it in release.

And when they reached that edge of control together, it was the low notes of their music that had her humming in satisfaction. She lay there with his body curled around hers, his cool breath on her face and she smiled.

Their music was truly beautiful.

**So that was chapter 20? Was it as good for you as it was for me?**

**Please review. You're most welcome to click that button!**


	22. Chapter 21

**January Stats: For the month of 2012-01, there have been a total of 115 Hits and 49 **

**I don't consider this too bad. I haven't really been that active in the month of December and January so far. I've had a wedding to concentrate on, photos to edit and print, then it was Christmas and the New Year celebrations and then I had a few days away with some girlfriends and only got back tonight. Was pretty awesome and each one of us needed the time away. We went to a holiday resort in the middle of the mountains in a little town called, Barrydale. Seriously in the middle of nowhere. Once you turn off the freeway you're literally driving ona narrow path on the side of hills and mountains covered in fynbos and rocks. I think Cape Town is one of the few cities you get where you just drive away for about 30 minutes and it feels like you've entered another country… well our drive was 3 hours and it was so good.**

**Anyway… this is the last chapter. I've actually kinda been avoiding it, hence keeping so busy.. But here it is. **

**Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Twilight related, but the Breaking Dawn dvd is coming out Feb 11th and I'll own that soon enough.**

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Edward woke slowly. As he stretched, he became aware of Bella's warm body next to him. The memory of their night together, brought a smile to his lips. Turning on his side, he watched her while she still slept. Raising a hand, he brushed her dark hair out of her face. She stirred slightly and it caused the duvet to shift, exposing some of the naked skin lying beneath. His hunger for her woke instantly and he suppressed a groan as he tugged the duvet with his fingers and covered her body again. He did not want her to be cold. If she was going to be shivering, he wanted it to be for different reasons that just a morning chill.

He'd always thought Bella was beautiful, but Bella after lovemaking was more…more.. More? Well just more. Her face was slightly flushed, but beautifully so. He smirked knowing it was all his doing. Their night had been an amazing experience. Sure he's had great sex before, but it was something more with her. It was making love. Years ago when he thought he loved his ex wife, he thought he was making love, but he realised now that it never felt like it did with Bella.

Never as complete.

_I sound like a girl_, he chuckled to himself and then watched her for a few seconds longer before he decided to get up.

Quietly extracting himself from the bed, he made his way to the kitchen. It was around six in the morning and frankly after the night they'd had, he'd worked a up a good appetite. Scratching around for something appealing and finding none, he decided to make a run to the nearest coffee shop before Bella woke up. He pulled on his clothes and sat down to write a note. As he started writing, it dawned on him that she might just miss the note, so he decided to tell her instead.

She was still fast asleep, her arms wrapped around a pillow. He kneeled down next to her and shook her gently.

"Honey, wake up."

All he got was a irritable groan, but he tried again. Eventually she peered at him through her lashes.

"I'm off to get coffee and bagels for breakfast," he told her. "You want anything special?"

"No," she murmured sleepily. Her eyes closed again.

"I'll be right back okay?"

"Kay," was the only response he got back.

He kissed her temple as she turned her head away and snuggled deeper into the warmth of the pillow.

"It's a good thing I'm the boss and Friday was your last day at the office," he chuckled. She simply tucked herself further under the covers and the gentle purr of sleep was all he heard.

Bella frantically searched for a note. Anything to explain why she didn't find Edward next to her when she woke up earlier. She didn't want to jump to conclusions and kept looking. She wanted to be sure that her insecurities and doubts were not going to cause a rift between them yet again. She checked all the most obvious and plausible places. She checked the bedside table. Even checked between the sheets to make sure that the note didn't get lost there. She checked the coffee table, the counter in the kitchen and even the front fridge.

But she found nothing.

It dawned on her that there was a possibility he just got what he wanted and left. But as quickly has the thought crossed her mind, she pushed it away again. No, Edward was never that kind of man. He would have a good reason for leaving her without letting her know. She reminded herself that she was not going to get it wrong again.

Checking the clock, she found it to be around six thirty. Deciding to take a shower to try and ease her nerves, she let the scalding hot water beat against skin and felt her doubts ebb away slowly. The hint of doubt still played in the back of her mind, but she refused to acknowledge it. She was determined to hold fast this time until she heard from Edward again.

She finished her shower and dried herself quickly. As she changed into a fresh set of clothes, she remembered her phone and thought he might have sent her a message. It was quite possible she hadn't heard the buzz of the phone. She padded towards the lounge where she last remembered having her phone, found it on the coffee table and immediately checked her inbox and found nothing. She even checked her voicemail, but came up empty again.

Feeling the sting of tears in the corners of her eyes she shut them quickly to stop them from escaping.

_Don't jump to conclusions Bella _she thought, giving herself a mental shake.

She kept repeating the silent mantra, trying to let it sink in. As she stared down at her phone, she realised she could just call him. This wasn't a fly-by-night thing between them. It was okay for her to call him the morning after. There was no way she could be wrong about him.

He cared for her.

She knew it.

He touched her like a man that was in love. Like a man that found what he'd been looking for, but never realised he'd been looking in the first place.

She quickly dialled his number and placed the device against her ear waiting for the dialling tone to start. Nothing came. Instead it switched over to his voicemail. She barely contemplated leaving a message before she ended the call. Abandoning the phone on the coffee table, she felt her nerves twitch again.

_He didn't leave me! _she willed herself to think. _He didn't leave me. He didn't leave me._

The ache was gnawing at her again. Her lip trembled and the smallest whimper escaped her. The tears stung and just as she let the floods free, she heard the door rattle. Through her blurred vision she saw him backing his way into the house, his arms filled with a brown paper bag and a tray of store bought coffee. He gently tapped the door closed with the toe of his shoe and then turned facing her. The smile on his face immediately faltered when he took in her face.

"Bella, honey, what's wrong?" he asked as he placed the items he was carrying on the sideboard by the door.

A strangled sob escaped her and she found herself lunging forward into his arms. She wrapped her arms tightly around his hard body. Edward's arms came around her, his expression confused and full of worry. Her tears flowed freely, but this time they were tears of relief, though he was unaware of the reason.

As her body shook against his, he slowly unwound her from his body and looked at her face. He'd let her cry for a bit, but he needed to know what caused this emotional breakdown. Gently cupping her tear stained face in his hands, he asked her again. She sniffed a couple of times before she answered.

"I couldn't find a note and thought you left me," she mumbled.

Edward blinked furiously. He couldn't have heard right. He can't believe that after all this time she still had trust issues. He felt a mild irritation build up inside him and was on the verge of allowing himself to get angry, but then he realised that this sort of thing did not work itself out overnight.

That was the tricky part about relationships, love wasn't enough. Sure it made up the best part, but it wasn't enough to sustain a relationship. It needed trust, friendship, honesty, respect and right now Bella was still teetering dangerously between her insecurities and trust. He _needed _ to make this woman understand what she truly meant to him.

It was while he held her close again that he remembered he never wrote the note that she was looking for. He distinctly remembered waking her and telling her that he'd be out for a while. He couldn't have imagine the whole conversation.

"Honey," he started. "This was exactly what I wanted to avoid."

His words brought a frown to her face.

"I was going to write a note, but thought you might not find it, so I woke you up."

The frown deepened. 'Huh?'

"I woke you up," he continued. "You looked at me. I know you were half asleep, but you answered me when I told you I was going to get something for breakfast."

"I did?" she sniffed and wiped her hand quickly over her face. The conversation seemed to have stopped her tears.

"Yep. I definitely happened."

"Are you sure I was awake?" she asked with a small embarrassed smile. "I know that when I'm somewhere between sleeping and awake, I'm kind of very responsive."

"You mean you were talking in your sleep?" he asked aghast.

"Uh huh. It's been known to happen, not often, but it does. You can ask me anything and I'd probably say yes to giving you a million dollars or something."

Edward stared at her dumfounded and suddenly broke out laughing. If it wasn't so funny, the situation would be downright frustrating. He realised that a life with Bella would probably lead to many such little misunderstandings.

"You find this funny?" she asked him, her voiced laced with a hint of annoyance.

"Sweetheart," he said as he laughter quieted. "If I didn't find it funny, we'd probably be having another stupid argument right now."

Her eyes probed his for a second and then her face broke into a small smile.

"I do feel pretty stupid right now," she responded. "I should know by now that you would never just leave me like that. You're way too much of a gentleman to just up and leave the _morning after."_

He enveloped her in his arms again and brushed his lips against her temple. "I would do no such thing to you."

He kissed her forehead. "And you're not stupid," he whispered.

A kiss on each of her eyelids followed. "A silly girl for jumping to conclusions so easily. It only makes me more determined though."

A kiss on the tip of her nose.

"Determined for what?" she asked as his lips brushed against her own. She was having a hard time concentrating on this conversation. She was already starting to forget the reason she was so upset in the first place.

"More determined to show you each and every day how much I really love you," he whispered.

Her eyes grew at the words. She blinked a few times. "You love me?"

"You doubt me?"

"N… no. It's just I'm not used to hearing it, I guess," she whispered again.

"Well, you'd best get used to it," he said kissing her again. "I'm determined to show you every single day why _I _can't live without you. Surely you knew?"

"I knew you cared for me deeply. I didn't know it was love."

"And how far apart is caring for someone deeply and love really?" he asked. "You should have known when I refused to leave you alone. Everyone knows that when a girl tells a guys she just wants to be friends, it really means you want the guy to just stay far away from you, but I refused to listen."

Bella smile at him. "Hmm… , you were kind of annoying that way."

"I really just wanted to make sure that you couldn't live without me. The same way I can't live without you." He whispered that last part while gazing into her eyes intently.

He kissed again. This time the kiss was not feather light like the ones he'd given her moments before, but instead this kiss was filled with all the heat and yearning they had shared the night… or morning before. His lips burned against hers and he was filled with want again, more than ready to show her exactly how much he loved her. As the heat coiled inside of him and her hand twisted themselves in his hair, he suddenly pulled away and it caused a whimper of protest from her. It reminded him of one of the many sounds he'd elicited from her the night before and he groaned with need and frustration against her lips.

"I. Love. You," he whispered. His voice was filled with need, but more so filled with raw emotion. "I thought I loved Victoria all those years ago, but that day you came to my office to tell me that you wanted to just be friends, I realised that the way I feel about you… I've never felt like that for anyone else. You've become my best friend, an integral part of my family. In fact you've brought my family and I closer together, but even without all that, you've become irreplaceable. I can't imagine my life without you."

"I love you," he repeated again. "And I'm gonna spend every day reminding you just how much exactly. I never want you to doubt it again."

Bella watched him as he said his little speech. She was literally in awe of him. She believed him.

He loved her.

There was no doubt. He couldn't have uttered those words and touched her like he had with such conviction. She believed him and she had to work on her doubting-Thomas ways. Her face broke out into a huge grin and she cupped his face in her hands as he had done just moments ago.

"You're too good for me," she whispered against his lips. He started saying something in protest, but she stopped him. "You have to let me say this. You've had your turn."

"When I met you, I knew I could love you easily. You had such charm and warmth and you just drew me in. As I got to know you, I felt more and more and I was sure I was falling for you. And that's what scared me. In my silly, twisted, insecure mind, I associated love with guaranteed pain. When you love somebody so much, you're bound to get hurt. They _will _hurt you even though it might not be intentional. I was so afraid I was going to love you _so _much that when you did somehow end up hurting me or leave me, that the pain would be so much greater. So when your ex wife let rip about your past and her twisted version of your custody battle, I used it as an excuse to get out. I knew I was in love with you already and I wanted out before it hurt even more.'

Edward's heart contracted with emotion. This girl was going to be the end of him and he loved every minute of it.

"And then I came along and spoiled your plan by being your boss for two months?" he chuckled.

She laughed with him. "Yes, that you did. I realised that I was going to be forced to face you almost daily and I tried the friendship approach, hoping that I could let my feelings for you just go away, but you wouldn't let me. Instead you forced your company on me, treating me like you've always treated me, except without all the kissing and other intimate bits. You made it hard for me. You showed me exactly what a life with you could be like and I slowly warmed up to the idea of love again. I figured if couples like your own parents and Alice and Jasper could make it work, then why couldn't we?"

She sighed and grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers through his. He brought their hands between them, resting them on his chest, her hand still in his. Hers looked so small in comparison to his, but she realised it fit so perfectly in his. Like it belonged there.

They fit.

"Last night when you came over," she started again. "I didn't expect you to come. I thought I was pretty calm about the whole thing and not too freaked out, but when you came over, I felt relieved to have you here. I didn't know that I needed you. That's why I asked you to stay. I couldn't let you keep walking out of my life anymore, especially when I was the one making you leave."

She kissed him softly and wrapped her arm around his neck, while her one hand stroke his face lovingly.

"Will you forgive this stupid, silly girl for not realising what love really was and for not holding onto it when she had it?"

"I don't need to forgive you for anything," he smiled.

"That's why you're so perfect," she said kissing him again. "I love you Edward Cullen and I'm never going to push you away again. Frankly I can't imagine life without you either."

Edward kissed her back with complete abandonment. Hearing those words made him happy. More than happy. He was in bloody cloud nine. As he kissed her and the fire grew yet again, he nudged her back towards the bedroom.

"Hey," she laughed. "Where are we going?"

"Bedroom," he panted. "I _need _ to show you exactly how much I love you. I told you I was determined."

He kissed her again as they collided with the passage wall.

"Didn't realise your determination needed to start today. The coffee's getting cold though."

"Time is of the essence," he growled. "I can get coffee again, but I'll never be able to get this moment back. Perfect moment to start with my determination."

Bella laughed and kissed him quickly. With both hands against his chest, she was the one steering him toward the bedroom.

"By all means, let's start with that determination," she said. She knew she had many wonderful days ahead of her with Edward at her side. It was not going to be easy, but like Edward, she was just as determined.

Determined to remind herself what love was really about.

THE END

**So… sadly that's the end of it. She came to her senses and they've got the rest of their lives to figure it out.**

**Oh.. By the way… the note and sleep talking idea I got from another story. I read the story ages ago and it just stuck in my mind and I had to use it. So even though I can't say who wrote that scene, I can at least say it wasn't my original idea! **

**Hope that's ok with everyone.**

**I don't have another story in mind yet. Well I have a vague idea for one but would need to do a bit of research..**

**I hope you've enjoyed the story enough to review..**


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